HARRY POTTER, THE LEGACY CHRONICLES: VOL 2
by Anna Brelin
Summary: CHRONICLE 2: LEGACIES. Note: This one is in raw form, until such time I can get to editing it. After twenty long years, rumors that Severus Snape might still alive begin to surface. Albus Potter goes to Hogwarts for his second year, where he meets two mysterious young Occlumens who give him a strange and mysterious book.
1. Chapter 1

**HARRY POTTER: THE LEGACY CHRONICLES – CHRONICLE 2: LEGACIES**

**By SeverusGirl360**

(**Disclaimer:** The use of places, objects, characters, etc. of the Harry Potter saga is the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brother Inc. No infringement intended, for entertainment purposes only. All original characters, objects, places, etc. are the property of SeverusGirl360.)

PROLOUGE: HARRY READS THE NEWS

**INT. A COTTAGE, GODRIC'S HALLOW – EVENING (JUNE 13TH, 1998)**

Things were slowly getting back to normal for the Wizarding world, including for Harry Potter and his friends. But the mystery of Severus's body having gone missing from the Boathouse was still upon the minds of many in the Wizarding world. Staying at a friend's cottage in Godric's Hallow for the weekend, Harry was sitting in an armchair near a roaring fire in the fireplace, reading the news articles about Severus's disappearance in the _Evening Prophet_, which was the evening edition to the _Daily Prophet_:

**BODY OF MISSING HOGWARTS TEACHER STILL A BAFFLING MYSTERY!**

'_According to recent speculations regarding the disappearance of the body of former Hogwarts Headmaster and Death Eater __Severus Liam Snape__, the case has been reopened temporarily in order for people to step forward with any information regarding the whereabouts of Snape's body. Recent rumors from the North of England have suggested that Severus Snape has been sighted somewhere near the town of the Shambles, though these rumors have yet to be confirmed. _

'_The mystery of Snape's missing body still baffles authorities as the case continues to be investigated by the Hogsmeade Investigations Unit and by the Ministry of Magic. If you have any information as to the whereabouts of Severus Snape or of where his body might be found, please contact the nearest available authority or the Ministry of Magic…More news to follow as this case progresses…'_

**SEVERUS SNAPE RUMORED TO HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN THE SHAMBLES!**

'_More news from the North of England continues to come in as more rumors continue to surface as to where Severus Snape may be located. Representatives from the Ministry of Magic and the Hogsmeade Investigations Unit continue to be sent to the Shambles in order to confirm any and all rumors of Snape's whereabouts, but have so far turned up with only false leads. The Shambles is a predominantly wizard town that is famous for its airships as well as for its vibrant and healthy trade market. It is also built atop five of the largest and longest viaducts in the Wizarding world and sits 700 feet over and above the River Topplemoor, which runs past the smaller rustic town of the same name. The Shambles is often referred to as the 'Cotswolds of the North', as it features cottages and other structures in the similar style to that of the Cotswolds near the border of Wales, but is mixed with traditional English styles that are associated with witchcraft and the styles seen in Victorian London times._

'_The main street of the Shambles is best described as 'a street in Victorian London, but with some organic and rustic overtones' and the row houses of the main street are like any terraced row houses that would have been found in Victorian London in the later part of the time and with Victorian street lamps lining the streets, which are still lit every night by lamplighters. It has been easy for wizards and witches in the past to vanish into the Shambles, never to be seen again, thus it is a possibly that either Severus Snape or his body might be found here. However, due to a law that was past nearly 300 years ago, the Shambles has been turned into a sort of sanctuary for political and wanted criminals who are hiding out and escaping from the law. It is thus for this reason that Severus Snape, if alive, cannot be arrested or put on trial while within the boundary of the town. If you have any information that will lead to the discovery of Snape's whereabouts, please contact the nearest available authority or the Ministry of Magic…' _

"What are you reading, Harry?" said a familiar voice from behind Harry, who placed their hands on Harry's shoulders and smiled down at him. Harry turned his head and saw that it was Ginny Weasley, who was the younger sister of Ron Weasley, one of Harry's best friends. She had light skin and the same fiery red hair that most of the Weasley persuasion had.

"Oh, nothing," said Harry putting down the newspaper on the coffee table next to him. "It's just that I've been keeping an eye on jury positions at the Minstry, but so far there haven't been any openings. I might try my hand in jury work, I don't know. Then again, I prefer to be an Auror."

"...So that you can have the right to find and arrest Severus Snape and have the personal satisfaction of asking for his forgiveness and for leaving you completely in the dark as to where he has been after all these years? I know you, Harry. You've been reading the articles about Severus Snape again. He is dead, Harry, we can't change that."

"But what if he isn't dead, Ginny? What if he's…I don't know, somehow still alive and hiding out somewhere trying not to be found? What if he's in trouble or hurt somewhere? I'd want to know where he was and would help him for helping us and protecting me from Voldemort and protecting the Wizarding world."

"Well, if he is alive, he's going to stay well enough away from this place and not tell anyone where he is if he knows what's good for him. Come on, it's time to go to bed."

"I'm going to stay up for a little while longer. I'll be along shortly."

And with that, Ginny smiled and walked up the stairs to the bedrooms on the second floor, leaving Harry to ponder and look at the newspaper once more.

CHAPTER 1: FATHERHOOD

**INT. TO EXT. TO INT. TO EXT. THESTRAL STABLES TO VERENA'S HOUSE, THE SUMMER HOUSE, NEAR THE SHAMBLES – EVENING (AUG. 1ST, 2007)**

For the first nine years in hiding and under an assumed name, Severus, Verena and with the help of a few trusted wizards and witches from the Shambles nearby, had been making a name for themselves as famous Thestral breeders and tamers, with their Thestral stock being used for domestic use and as beasts of burden. With blank shinning eyes, large, leathery bat-like wings, long black manes, a skeletal body of a great winged horse and a narrow dragonish face, Thestrals were the most elusive and least horse-like breed of magical winged horse family. Though majestic and beautiful in their own unique way, they had an undeserved reputation as being omens of evil to many.

However, over the years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Thestrals had started to be seen as creatures of morbid beauty rather then something evil or unloved and thus a demand for Thestrals as beasts of burden grew. Though possessing fangs as well as being dominantly carnivorous by nature and with a well-developed sense of smell, Thestrals will not attack a human-sized target without provocation.

They are also extremely strong despite their frail appearance and are capable of very fast flight, with the ability to work and/or fly for several hours at a time, though they usually spend their time on the ground and have an excellent sense of direction. Unlike Hagrid's herd of Thestrals, Snape's Thestrals were somewhat special as they came in seven different varieties, including the regular solid black color.

However, Snape was breeding and taming more than just Thestrals, but also certain dragons as well as Hippogriffs. In a research and study area lying within the Thestral stables behind Verena's house, a small cauldron full to the brim with soup sat over a fire in a cobblestone fireplace. The room itself was fairly small and contained a single wooden table, a couple wooden chairs and rows of hanging hooks where bridles and other equipment used to ride horses hung from the ceiling above the table. Upon the table, there was a small potions kit, including all the things needed to make potions as well as a couple books, some parchment, an ink well, a couple quill pens and a couple disused wands, among other small and magical trinkets. Severus had been working on a special potion all day which he was planning to use on his breeding stock later.

"Do you see this, Ergot?" said Severus pointing at a page in the book he had opened in front of him on the table, "This potion should make the breeding stock more fertile. Instead of getting the usual two or three Thestral offspring every five months, we could more than double it to five or six."

"I agree," said Samuel Ergot, a young and clever wizard with light skin and brown hair who had come under Severus's and Verena's employment as a Thestral breeder-in-training. "It should give us more selling stock come next summer. You know how a great deal of farming and trading wizards and witches go mad over these Thestrals nowadays, especially in the Shambles. This place is slowly becoming the Thestral capital of the Wizarding world."

Ergot paused a moment and then continued, looking at Snape, who was quietly sitting at the table, looking down and writing something on some parchment with a quill pen in hand, "You know, Severus, I do find it odd that you went from being the potions master at Hogwarts to a Thestral breeder and tamer. To me, being a Thestral breeder seems less exciting than being a potions master at Hogwarts. And in truth, this is something that sits more along Hagrid's lines, not yours."

"Don't be comparing me to that lumbering oaf, Ergot," said Severus coolly, looking up at Ergot, "Though true it may be something that Hagrid would do and be obsessed with, but to me it's just work."

"Well you must have some passion for the work, Severus, otherwise you wouldn't do it."

"I do, Ergot, though not as much as Hagrid I should think. It is a job that I must do these days to keep food on the table. Verena's job in the parchments and scrolls shop doesn't make enough to keep things running like they should."

"But you're fairly well off, Severus. Why would you ever need to work?"

"It's not enough, Ergot. You know that dreams take money to fund them, and I plan on opening an herbal and potions shop in the Shambles later. Money is needed to make it work."

Unlike in the rest of the Wizarding world, it made it easy for Snape to disappear and not be noticed in the Shambles, even when out in the open and walking about. As a town of considerable reclusiveness, the Shambles was a far cry from the ancient towers, majestic battlements and long meandering corridors of Hogwarts Castle and no one in the Shambles knew anything of what Snape looked like or even about his long and sorted past. Never the less, Verena had to keep on guard just in case someone did find out that Severus was alive and living near the Shambles.

Ergot paused and looked around, then turned back to Snape and continued, "Where is your lovely wife Verena anyway? I haven't seen her around here lately."

"Have you not _seen_ my wife, Ergot?" said Severus coolly with a withering stare, "Surely you remember the state she is in. She's been staying in the house since she is so near to giving birth so I highly doubt she would be out here messing about with the Thestrals, especially since it would be dangerous to work around such creatures in her condition."

"Oh, I forgot, of course. Forgive me," said Ergot bowing his head apologetically and respectfully, then bringing his head up again, "She's nine months gone isn't she? She's due to birth at any minute. Have you found out the sex of your unborn child?"

"_Children_, Ergot...plural." said Severus coolly.

"What, more than one? Twins? I say, you're going to have your hands full then."

Suddenly, a woman with light skin and brownish-blond hair ran into the room and yelled excitedly, "Severus! It's Verena, come quickly! She's in labor!"

Severus quickly stood up and ran past the woman with Ergot in toe. The panicked woman followed soon after.

Inside the house and in a bedroom on the second floor, another woman held Verena's hand as Verena lied naked under a blanket on her bed, sweating, moaning and crying out in pain. Treevole, Verena's friend and House-Elf, was also there and was standing up on a chair sitting next to the bed and looking on nervously, worried about Verena. A large white owl sat on the ledge of the open window nearby, fluffing up its feathers and hooting loudly. Then Severus entered the bedroom and ran up to Verena's side, taking the place of the woman who was holding Verena's hand, "Verena! Verena, I'm here! Look at me, I'm right here. You'll be alright!"

Verena looked up at Snape and tried to smile through her pain, but quickly went back to crying out and groaning. Snape turned his head and yelled at Ergot and the two women in the room, "Call for the midwife in the Shambles! Tell her that my wife is in labor and that I need her to come here this instant! Do it quickly!"

The women curtsied quickly and ran out, leaving Ergot to watch. Snape soon went back to looking at Verena, holding her hand. Ergot soon left the room and joined up with the other woman who had fetched Severus and Ergot from the Thestral stalls earlier, running around the outside of the house and around the Thestral stables, gathering up everyone who was there working and telling them as to what was going on. A half hour later, the midwife appeared, with her small bundle of towels and other things needed to help Verena give birth. The midwife soon told Severus to wait outside the door, but Verena grabbed onto Severus's arm and spoke through her pain towards the midwife, "No! Please, let him stay...I want him to see his children be born...please."

Severus looked at Verena with a withering stare, a stare that told Verena that Severus was secretly worried and secretly scared for his wife's safety as well as for their unborn children. It seemed as though Severus was halfway agreeing with the midwife to leave and wait outside the door. But the midwife reluctantly agreed to let Severus stay and watch while she told the woman who was holding Verena's hand earlier to fetch her a shallow bowl of warm water. Soon, Treevole left the room, unable to continue watching further. Treevole ran out the front door of the house and ran up to Ergot and where a small group of people were waiting outside and looking up towards the open window to the bedroom, listening to Verena's cries.

Treevole spoke to Ergot and the small group of people, "Mistress is trying to be strong and brave for Master Severus and Treevole. Mistress is telling the midwife that she wants to stay here and not go to the Shambles to give birth. But Treevole is worried for Mistress. Treevole worries that his Mistress will not be able to give birth at the house because Mistress is with two not yet born. It may be too dangerous."

"For the moment, Treevole, I am inclined to agree with you." said Ergot as another loud cry from Verena was heard. Others of the small group waiting began getting nervous and grabbing onto each other. The two women that had been involved earlier had went outside to join the group and began to cry and hold onto one another, worried for Verena. For the next hour, everyone who was there was on edge and waiting anxiously, hoping that Verena would be alright.

Then, upon one final cry from Verena, another sound was heard through the open window, a sound that Ergot and the small group of people had been waiting to hear, the cry of a new life. The white owl that had been watching from the ledge began hooting loudly as if in celebration. With wide and teary eyes, the two women looked up at the window and then back at one another, then began to sob joyously and embrace one another.

Then, several more moans and cries of pain from Verena and several minutes later, a second cry of a new life was heard resonating from the open window above. Ergot looked up at the window and smiled while those in the group that were there joined the two women in a group hug. Treevole soon grabbed onto Ergot and began sobbing into his robes. Ergot looked down at Treevole and smirked, then rolled his eyes while looking away. Ergot then patted Treevole on the back sarcastically.

**INT. VERENA'S HOUSE, THE SUMMER HOUSE, BEDROOM, NEAR THE SHAMBLES – EVENING (AUG. 1ST, 2007)**

Inside the bedroom, the midwife washed the two newborns in the shallow bowl of warm water and then wrapped them up in large towels. Severus than soon stood up and outstretched his arms towards the midwife, who then gave him the first born, a boy, and then gave him the second born, a girl. Severus, teary eyed and smiling softly, soon brought the newborns to Verena. Verena's face began to show a suppressed joy and began to cry softly as Severus placed the two newborns into her arms.

"You did so well, my dear. They are truly beautiful." said Severus softly and with a smile.

"I know, Severus...just like you." said Verena, crying softly and with a crack in her voice.

Verena could tell that Severus wanted to express his joy, but with the midwife in the room, Severus was using every ounce of his Occlumens ability to remain calm and not show any intense emotion while the midwife was there.

Severus than once again kneeled down at Verena's bedside and laid his head on Verena's right shoulder while Verena, teary eyed, looked at Severus with a withering stare and cried quietly. Realizing that the new parents wanted to be alone, the midwife smiled and gave her farewells before leaving the room. Once out of the room, Severus turned his face away from the door and began sobbing and retching quietly. Verena just looked on with a withering stare, smiling softly and crying quietly. Severus soon quieted himself and started sniffling as he turned his face back and looked on, tears coming down his face.

"Oh, look, our son is holding my finger. It's so adorable, Verena." said Severus with a grin and with a crack in his voice. Severus's face was lit up as though full of a new found hope and joy. It was a rare sight to see Snape grin with joy instead of mischief and it seemed to make both Verena's and Snape's heart feel lighter than they normally were. Verena grinned in return, feeling the same joy and happiness that Severus was now feeling. Snape was almost unfamiliar being seen in this joyful mood, but it was a rare opportunity for Verena and Severus to show off their brighter and less emotionally restrained side, though as Occlumens, it was still subdued in some way or another.

"Oh, Severus, whatever are we going to name them?"

"I'm not sure," said Severus as he looked between the two newborns briefly, then looked back at Verena, "I can't really think of names right now."

"Neither can I. My mind is a blank parchment," said Verena as her face contorted with joy again, tears welling up in her eyes, "And look at the hair on their heads. They both have your beautiful black hair and our son looks like you when you were born, Severus."

"I know, and our daughter has your nose and ears it seems. And I have no doubt that our son will have my ears and my nose when he gets older, I can tell." said Severus, bringing his hand up to his nose and grinning mischievously.

"Oh, _that_ nose! You Snapes are always passing it down!"

"I know. It's like a disease in our family that can never be cured." said Severus mischievously, bringing his hand down and smiling tearfully.

Verena and Severus soon went back to looking down at the newborns and soon noticed that the eyes of their newborn son and daughter were very slightly cracked open and could see the little blue eyes of their daughter and the little dark steel gray eyes of their son peering out. It was possible that there son would have his father's eyes as he got older, but it remained unclear as to what color their daughter's eyes would be.

"Oh, Severus, they're so little and cute. I wish we knew what to name them."

Severus looked away silently for a moment and smiled softly, then looked back at Verena and spoke, "Have I ever told you about my great-grandparents Evangeline and Cyrus?"

Verena looked up at Severus, teary eyed and mildly confused.

**EXT. TO INT. THE GNARLED OAK TREE, MAPHERIA'S CHAMBER - EVENING (JUNE 13TH, 1998)**

A lone figure in a long, flowing black hooded cloak walked silently and cautiously through the darkness of the forest, walking towards the gnarled oak tree in which Mapheria's chamber lied underneath. Upon reaching the base of the oak tree, the lone figure pulled back its hood, revealing the face of Lucius Malfoy. He then pulled out his wand and stepped back a couple feet before pointing his wand towards the base of the tree.

After speaking a spell silently, an arched door appeared on the trunk of the tree, forming out of the very trunk of the tree. The door then unlocked itself and opened slowly and waited for Lucius to walk through it, revealing a narrow staircase and a narrow corridor behind it. Once Lucius was through and past the door, the door closed behind him and locked before vanishing into the trunk again.

Inside the pitch darkness of the tree, Lucius uttered the spell "_Lumos_..." causing a light to appear on the tip of his wand, walking down the staircase quietly and cautiously, looking all around him. After walking down the staircase and several feet down the corridor, the corridor opened up wider, revealing a large, arched entrance in the corridor wall on the left, which was the entrance to Mapheria's chamber. Around him, torches suddenly lit on their own, allowing Lucius to put out his wand and hide it back into his walking stick. He then walked cautiously to the entrance and looked in.

Through the entrance to Mapheria's chamber, Lucius beheld the sight of a long marble table, which ran vertically down the middle of Mapheria's chamber. One end of the table sat at the base of the stairs which lead up to Mapheria's throne, while the other end sat at the entrance to the chamber. As was always the case, walls of see through cloth and draperies could be seen all over Mapheria's chamber, except in the area of the chamber where the table was placed. Chairs were set all around the table, in which fellow Death Eaters and other strange wizards and witches were sitting and talking amongst each other.

In the open space above the table, Dementors and Accusers alike were hovering and looking down, watching everything that was happening below. Scattered upon the top and down the entire length of the marble table, there were large maps, parchment, a few books, ink wells, quill pens and a wide assortment of other papers and documents, which told Lucius that Mapheria and her followers were planning out something on a massive scale. Lucius soon noticed that the chair at the end of the table that faced the entrance to the chamber was empty, as though waiting for someone to sit in it.

Soon, a familiar face on the far end of the table looked up. It was Mapheria and she seemed pleased to see him, "Lucius Malfoy. I was wondering when you would find your way back here. Come in and sit at the table."

Mapheria used her wand to point at the empty chair at the other end of the table. Lucius walked in and sat at the end of the table, looking briefly around at everyone who was looking over at him with serious glances. Mapheria then clapped her hands together and spoke once more, "Refreshments!"

Suddenly, the sound of long iron chains dragging across the cold stone floor could be heard. Lucius soon noticed a couple women appear with shackles on their wrists and ankles and carrying out large, sliver platters of food and drink. as Lucius was looking in, the two women walked over to him and sat the platters down in front of him, dragging their long chains behind them. Lucius quickly stopped one of the women and grabbed onto the chain that was binding her wrists. He then looked over at Mapheria coolly and spoke, "Isn't it a bit barbaric of you to have slaves in your chamber, Mapheria?"

"They are survivors from the Battle of Hogwarts I found and saved from certain death. I healed them and as a result, they are to work as servants in my chamber until I feel that the debt they owe me has been paid."

"What then? Free them?"

"Perhaps...Then again I might not and instead feed them to my pet dragon. Afterall, I am not accustomed to being merciful to anyone." said Mapheria, ending her sentience with a quiet and sinister laugh.

"You are slowly testing my patience and my morals, Mapheria!" said Lucius as he let go of the chain angrily and allowed the bounded woman to walk away.

"As are you, Lucius," hissed Mapheria, glaring at Lucius angrily. She then became calm and collected again and spoke once more, "Anyway, Have you found the location of the prize that I seek? Surely you have found something by now."

"I have, but you won't like it." said Lucius as those around him continued to watch and listen to Lucius and Mapheria talk.

"Oh really?" said Mapheria calmly, glaring at Lucius and smiling softly, "And does it involve a very complicated trap that you, unfortunately can't solve, Lucius?"

Lucius opened his mouth and closed it again without saying anything, looking at Mapheria as though mildly surprised by what she had said.

Mapheria then laughed softly and wickedly, than spoke once more, "I've been watching you now and again through my Searching Bowl, Lucius. It appears that the Book of Resurrections is in a hidden cavern high the Himalayas that is protected by a complicated trap that only the Guiding Eye Stones can help solve. This of course only means one thing, Lucius. We will have to find the Guiding Eye Stones first before we can get anywhere near the Book. And even if you _do_ reach the Book, you still have to use the Key to open it, which regrettably, has disappeared into thin air."

"You don't seem too angry about this, Mapheria. Is there some reason why you're not?" said Lucius calmly, undeterred by the sight of the Dementors and the Accusers who were eying him from above. "It is certainly not like you to keep your cool in a matter such as this."

Mapheria suddenly disapparated and then apparated right behind Lucius, pulling out a dagger from a sleeve lashed to the side of her right ankle and placing it up against the front of Lucius's neck, placing her left hand on Lucius's forehead from behind to hold his head back. Mapheria then spoke, "On the contrary, Lucius. I am exceedingly angry at you for not bringing me back at least one of the Guiding Eye Stones, namely the one Guiding Eye Stone that traitorous Torvellos gave to your son on that day in Diagon Alley and then your son gave to you after you found out that he was in possession of it."

Lucius slowly tried to reach for his wand, but Mapheria stopped him by putting the dagger up closer to his neck. Mapheria spoke further, "Don't even think about it, Lucius…Do you remember the day you first came to my chamber, Lucius? The day where I placed this very same dagger up to your neck and threatened to kill you?"

Mapheria suddenly cast her eyes up to the Accusers above her, who had suddenly floated down closer and began staring down Mapheria and hissing at her as if telling her not to do what she was thinking. Mapheria then grinned wickedly as everyone in the room was looking on and glaring nervously at what was going on before them, casting their eyes between the Accusers and Mapheria.

Mapheria then looked back at Lucius and continued, "...And I would have killed you that day, Lucius, had the Accusers not told me otherwise. And you certainly know by now that I don't take to kindly to those who have failed me, even when they are as handsome as you and as clean shaven as you."

"Flirting with Lucius with a dagger to his neck, My Lady? That sums you up." said one of the Death Eaters sitting next to Lucius, who was smiling wickedly and laughing quietly along with other onlookers. Mapheria then gave a cold look at them which caused everyone to lose their smiles and fall silent again.

Mapheria then looked back down at Lucius, who was starting to get nervous, "Indeed, Lucius. I have every reason to kill you here and now and end this little deal of ours, but as you already know, the Accusers have a warped sense of justice and they will most certainly punish me if I bring any harm to you."

"But you need me alive to find you the Guiding Eye Stones for you, Mapheria. You can't kill me when there are so many Accusers around."

"But of course I do, Lucius, as you are of no use to me dead. And besides, if I was to kill you, I would lose any chance of gaining possession of my prize all together and that is something that I am unwilling to let happen. You are still of a very important use to me, Lucius, and I always protect and spare those that are of use to me. But don't ever think for one minute, that I would not kill you!"

Lucius gulped quietly as Mapheria slowly pulled the dagger away from Lucius's neck and took her hand off his forehead. Mapheria continued as she walked away and went back to the other end of the table and sat down, "But for now, leave my presence and do not return until you have found me at least one of the Guiding Eye Stones. Crielis will show you out."

Saying nothing more, Lucius grabbed onto his neck briefly before bringing his hand down again and standing up from the chair, with Crielis standing behind him and waiting. He then looked at Mapheria icily and turned angrily towards the entrance, walking out the entrance with Crielis and with walking stick by his side. Mapheria simply looked on, undeterred by Lucius's cold stares at her. She then cast her eyes back up at the Accusers, who came very close to attacking her earlier. Lucius was safe from Mapheria's dagger for now.

**INT. VERENA'S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM, THE SUMMER HOUSE, NEAR THE SHAMBLES - MORNING (AUG. 2ND, 2007)**

The next morning, the rest of those present around Verena's house and working on the grounds in the Thestral stables got their first look at the newest members of the Snape family. The women were sitting around in the living room with Verena, passing around the newborns and taking turns holding them and cooing over them. For the boy, Verena and Severus ultimately settled on the name of Cyrus Severus-Saeweard Snape, naming him after Severus's great-grandfather, Cyrus Andrew-James Prince, and Severus himself, using his own first name and another great-grandfather Saeweard Snape's first name. And for the girl, the name Evangeline Lily-Janine Snape, naming her after Severus Snape's great-grandmother, Evangeline Jane-Marie Prince nee Hollowin, and after one of his mother Eileen's middle names and Lily's first name. Severus was with the men in the kitchen, sharing a bottle of red wine and hanging out.

"A toast to Severus's new found happiness!" said Ergot, raising up his glass with the other men and bringing them down again before drinking from them. Severus on the other hand, simply gave one nod of approval and smiled shrewdly as he held his glass of wine, tapping on it with his finger slightly. Severus was not use to getting praised on any level so it made him feel just a bit uncomfortable.

Verena then walked into the kitchen and spoke, "Are you all quite done making my husband feel uncomfortable with your enthusiastic praising? Your wives and girlfriends are waiting for you to join them in the living room."

"Yeah, good idea, my wife Eve may start worrying about me," said Ergot, picking up a cue and putting down his glass of wine with the others and leaving with them. "Come on, men! Let's leave Verena and Severus alone and go join the rest of the show out in the living room."

Verena and Severus watched as Ergot and the other men left and closed the door to the kitchen behind them. Verena then looked back at Severus and smiled, "I was dying to get out of that living room. I am not use to having so many people around the house. It feels so crowded in there."

"Indeed. I was getting crowded with just the men in here," said Severus, "We should tell them to get back to work in the Thestral stalls and on the outside grounds since we pay them far to much for them to just sit around here and do nothing."

"Oh, indeed. They need to get back to work, one of the Thestrals is due to have a foal anytime soon, they should be focusing on that and not busy drinking up one of our..." - Verena picked up the wine bottle and sniffed it - "...best bottles of fine red wine in the entire wine cellar." said Verena, smiling softly and sitting the bottle back down as Severus smiled softly at her. Verena then noticed a look on Severus's face that told her that he was thinking about something that was bothering him to no end. Verena gave a withered stare as she spoke, "What's wrong, Severus, my husband? You seem unusually distracted by something."

"It's Mapheria," said Severus softly, sitting his glass of wine down on the table and walking up closer to Verena. "I have been looking for her and chasing her down for nine years now and I am no step closer to finding her or finding out where she has been hiding. I need to find her quickly and stop her before she brings harm to you and our children."

"Have you forgotten already that I killed Mapheria five years ago, in that raid in Hogsmeade? I know I killed her, she is no longer a threat to us."

"No, you didn't kill her, you merely slowed her. I know she is still alive, I know because she is my father's cousin and is determined to stay alive long enough to see her dreams fulfilled."

"But I killed her, Severus! I know I did! I cast the _Avarda Kadavra_ spell at her, I saw her fall!"

"I was there, Verena. You weren't looking hard enough. She deflected it away from her and fell to make you believe that you killed her. You didn't go and see if she was dead. I did, and as a result she surprised me and very nearly hit me with the _Immobilus_ spell. But I deflected it and saw her run away from Hogsmeade with her followers in toe. I followed her."

Severus suddenly had a flashback to the day in question as he continued to talk about the events that followed: "As I was chasing after her, I suddenly cornered her as she was walking around a large boulder, trying to double back and get behind me. I pointed my wand straight at her and she pointed her wand straight at me. We stared at one another, ready to attack and strike each other at any moment. But the look in Mapheria's eyes, it was an intense and knowing look, as though it was telling me that she knew that I wouldn't kill her, even though I wanted to. And just before she vanished, I pointed my wand away and she took a strike at me with her wand, which I deflected away. That strike wasn't intended to kill me of course, it was to distract me while she vanished, disapparating from my sight."

Severus flashed back to the present and spoke, "I had every opportunity to kill her and stop her from harming anymore people, but I didn't. I know she has to die for killing my family and I know she deserves it and yet I can't bring myself to kill her."

Verena walked up to Severus and they embraced one another, placing their heads on each other's shoulders as Verena spoke, "I understand, Severus, and I know that if you kill Mapheria, you will avenge your family certainly, but you will lose your last living connection to them, otherwise killing the last of the Snape family by your own hand, leaving only you. In this case, your need to stay connected to your family is stronger than your need to avenge them by killing Mapheria. It's not that you can't kill Mapheria, Severus, it's just that you _won't_..."

"I _won't_ kill what is left of the Snape family, Verena! Even though I want to and need to! I want to kill Mapheria and avenge my family, but by doing so I will lose what is left of the family that I came from."

"But the Snape family will never die, Severus. They will continue on through you and through our children."

"But for how long, Verena?" hissed Severus softly, "We may ultimately go the way of the original wizard Snape family, being absorbed into other wizard families, no longer carrying the name of _Snape_. I don't want that to ever happen, Verena. Not ever."

"Then we better make certain that _our_ little family of Snapes doesn't get destroyed now won't we?" said Verena with a mischievous smile.

"Indeed...Verena..." said Severus as he smiled softly back. Verena and Severus soon embraced one another once more.

**CONTINUED…CHAPTER 2…**


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: AN EVENTFUL MORNING

**EXT. WILLOW'S WELL – MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

It was a day like any other day in Willow's Well, a small, hidden away town located in Epping Forest, Essex, just outside of London, England. It was a peaceful and magical place, surrounded by forest and where all manner of wizards and witches would go about their daily routines, living among Squibs and trusted Muggles alike. Every day, the town would come alive with the sights, smells, tastes and sounds of anything and everything that any witch or wizard would ever ask for or would ever desire.

The old cobbled streets were flanked with a strange and wondrous assortment of shops, restaurants and street vendors, which lied nestled among rows of small English cottages. Many of the street vendors had large black cauldrons filled to the brim with ancient and strange brews, which simmered and bubbled inside of them. There were warm and brightly lit sidewalks and narrow cobbled side streets, lit by tall and elegant candle lit lamp posts which were lit by lamplighters every evening.

On the outskirts of this ancient town, there existed small and scattered gatherings of quiet English country cottages, tucked away within green rolling hills and in patches of dense temperate forest. Every day, smoke would rise out of the small gray stone chimneys which stuck out of the roofs of small, thatched roof cottages. The people who lived here were happy, leading peaceful lives full of magic and enchantment. Throughout most of the year, the old local pub would be full to capacity with customers and boisterous onlookers while the sweet smell of incense hung in the air and the sounds of metal hitting metal reverberated out from the doors of the old Blacksmith's shop.

**EXT. THE WELL-HOUSE – EARLY MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018) **

Near the end of a long and winding dirt road lined with lush forest, known as Winter's Well Lane, there stood a humble three-story English cottage known as _The Well-House_. It was a cottage made of stone and wood and had a roof of shingle that was made out of dark gray-green dragon scales. It had an upper and lower balcony made of timber, both of which wrapped around the outside of the entire structure of the cottage. It also had a small wooden platform on the roof with an elegant spiral staircase leading up to it, where onlookers could gaze out over the forest and at the surrounding grounds or to look up at the stars on clear nights.

The spiral staircase sat on the outside in back of the cottage and had openings in it to where anyone standing on any of the balconies could access it, leading all the way down to the ground. Behind the cottage, there stood a greenhouse, a storehouse, a long wooden horse stable and an aviary, all of which, along with the cottage, sat within a large clearing surrounded by lush temperate forest. Lying within the clearing at the very end of Winter's Well Lane, there stood a cobbled well where a rope and a bucket hung, which provided all the water that was to be used outside on the cottage grounds.

**INT. ALBUS POTTER'S BEDROOM – MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018) **

In a bedroom which sat on the third floor of this cottage, there was a large four post bed with long hanging dark crimson drapes sitting in the corner. Here, upon this bed, there slept a bright, confident and curious young boy by the name of Albus Severus Potter.

Albus was the younger son of the infamous Harry Potter, the wizard who had defeated one of the most powerful and sinister wizards ever known, the evil Lord Voldemort. Albus had a light complexion and had the same straggly dark hair and green eyes that his father possessed. Albus's father was also a surviving hero of the Battle of Hogwarts, a fierce and bloody wizard battle which had occurred about 20 years ago, a battle which not only determined the fate of the entire Wizarding world, but the fate of those wizards and witches that were yet to come.

Many wizards and witches, both good and bad, had lost their lives in the Battle of Hogwarts, whereas many of its survivors as well as the world that they inhabited in were to be forever haunted by the battle, neither to be the same way again. Today was the start of Albus's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, an esteemed and prestigious boarding school where all manner of young wizards and witches would go to be taught and trained in the art of witchcraft.

Albus missed seeing Hogwarts Castle, where Hogwarts School was located. To Albus, it was his home away from home, a place where magic never slept and where anything was possible. Albus, like so many young wizards and witches of his generation, was anxious to get back to Hogwarts, having enjoyed it when he first went there the year before. He missed seeing his friends, his teachers and all of the strange and magical creatures that he had befriended while he was at Hogwarts. He missed going to his classes, playing the wizard game of Quidditch and going to the Hogwarts School Library to study. He had been missing it all.

Though Albus was not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts because of being underage, he was always certainly surrounded by magic. Albus was used to seeing strange and unusual things, thus, not much ever took him by surprise or would ever startle him. Not even the sight of a large fire salamander that had once crawled its way into the fire in Albus's bedroom fireplace had surprised him, for things like that were normal and commonplace to him.

But all that Albus wanted to do at the moment was to stay curled up within the warm folds of his blankets and dream about those wonderful and magical days that had long since passed. But then, there was a knock at Albus's bedroom door. Albus looked up and saw that it was his father Harry, waking him up to get ready for school.

"Come on, Albus," said his father Harry, as he walked over to the only window in the room and pulled opened the drapes, "It's time to get ready for school."

Albus sat up and rubbed his eyes as if he had been woken out of a dream. "Awe, Dad," said Albus disagreeably, "It's not even eight o' clock yet. The train isn't going to leave until eleven!"

"No buts!" said Harry as he walked back to Albus's bedroom door, his green eyes gleaming out from behind glittering sliver frames. "You need to put on your school clothes and come downstairs for breakfast. I am not about to let you go to school without eating like you did the last time. And besides, your Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron are going to be here soon. You don't want to miss visiting with them like you did the last time."

And with that, Harry vanished into the hallway beyond Albus's bedroom door and started his way down a lofty staircase. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were not only Albus's aunt and uncle, but they were also best friends of his father. Albus's mother Ginny was Ron's younger sister, and both of them were members of the Weasley family, one of the largest wizard families known. Albus's parents and much of his uncle's own family had grown up together within the ever looming shadow of Hogwarts Castle, going to Hogwarts School together and sharing among them many adventures as well as a long and complicated history.

Now Albus was gaining the same with his own friends and family, unable to wait to be the presence of Hogwarts Castle once again and in the presence of all that lived and worked there. Without another word spoken, Albus shoved the blankets off of him and shifted his legs out over the edge of the bed. Standing up, he places on a pair of soft, fuzzy bedroom slippers and then grabbed up the sliver skeleton key off the table which sat next to his bed, which went to his large and lofty wardrobe in the far corner of the room.

Albus's room was the place where Albus both slept and studied. The walls were covered in fine wood paneling and were lined with many long wooden shelves full of mementos and other strange things that Albus had gathered from his first year at Hogwarts. There were also built-in bookcases full of old and dusty books, many of which were books on general witchcraft, magical herbs, spell casting and potion making. Albus strutted over the cold hardwood floor towards his wardrobe, going past a shelf that was full of pictures of his friends and family.

Like the enchanted portraits at Hogwarts, the images within these pictures moved on their own, as if a moving moment in time had been captured and then trapped within the elegant picture frames. But Albus knew all to well that those wizard and witches who died and had came before him survived on in the portraits, living in a spirit world that no known living person could touch, even if they wanted to.

Albus went past another shelf that had an hour glass sitting on it in which the sand inside it ran up instead of down. He then went past an old coo-coo clock mounted on the wall that slowly breathed in and out as if it was alive. He breezed past a finely woven rug and a leather armchair which sat in front of a marble bedroom fireplace before finally reaching his wardrobe. He placed the sliver skeleton key into the lock of his wardrobe and turned it. Suddenly, the doors to the wardrobe flew open and a burst of brilliant blue light shot out, hitting Albus and knocking him flat on his back.

It took Albus a moment or two to realize what had happened to him as he sat up, squinting his eyes, trying to focus on the doors of the wardrobe and the area in front of him. There, standing near the foot of his wardrobe, was the House-Elf named Treevole. From what Albus could see, Treevole was wearing what appeared to be an old, raggedy green scarf and a torn, tattered fragment of dirty black cloth that looked as if it had been torn from some old black wizard's robe. The torn fragment of cloth that Treevole was wearing was long enough and wide enough to cover his entire body and was trailing behind him like the train on a wedding gown.

Treevole was holding Albus's wand with both hands as if it was trying to make it work, "Oh, Treevole is so sorry to have knocked over young master Albus!" Treevole said nervously, "Treevole did not mean to!"

Albus didn't know what to say at first. He was rarely ever surprised by the sight of anything strange or out of the ordinary, but in the case of Treevole, Albus was making an exception. "Who are you and what were you doing in my wardrobe?" said Albus, "More to the point…wait, you're a House-Elf aren't you?"

Now Treevole was standing next to Albus, with his very large eyes staring down at him. Albus was still on the floor, though now he was leaning back on his elbows. "Treevole is indeed a House-Elf, sir," said Treevole, holding Albus's wand tightly close to his chest, "Treevole is servant to a great and secret wizard family. But Treevole did not run away for Treevole is happy being with his Mistress's family."

Albus was now sitting on the floor with his legs crossed underneath him, "I've heard about your kind, but I've never been this close to one before. I heard that anyone who owns one is considered to be in a bad crowd. I heard that House-Elfs are neglected and treated badly and can only be freed from their slavery if their master or mistress presents them with cloths."

"But Treevole is not treated like a slave, sir," said Treevole, his large, round eyes beaming up at Albus, "Treevole's master and mistress treat Treevole better than a slave and it is for that reason that Treevole does not wish to leave them. But Treevole will be punished if Treevole is found here."

"Then why are you here?" asked Albus.

"Treevole is here with Treevole's Mistress!" said Treevole as he sat down Albus's wand in Albus's lap and stepped back. "Mistress and Treevole have been watching young master Albus and his family these past few days. But Treevole wasn't supposed to tell young master Albus that, sir."

"But why have you been watching me, Treevole? Who is your Mistress?"

Treevole became more nervous and started stepping back towards Albus's armchair, his eyes shifting and fearfully ringing his hands, "Treevole can not say, for Treevole has been ordered not to," squeaked Treevole, jumping up onto the armchair. "But Treevole knows that young master Albus will soon be given an important task which will put young master Albus and his friends in great danger. But Treevole wasn't supposed to tell you that either, sir."

"Treevole, who is your Mistress? Tell me!" asked Albus. Suddenly, there was a knock at Albus's bedroom door, causing Treevole to panic and begin running around the room before opening Albus's window and jumping out of it, landing on the balcony outside and running down the spiral staircase.

"Wait!" yelled Albus, getting up from the floor and running to the window, "Stop! Don't go! Treevole!"

But Treevole would not stop or look back, for fear that if he had told him who his mistress was, that he would get into trouble. Instead, Treevole kept on running, running across the back garden and then disappearing into the hedge beyond it.

There was a voice from the hallway again. It was Albus's older brother James. "Hey Albus!" shouted James, "Hurry up and get dressed before Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron get here. Get a move on you!"

Both confused and a bit miffed as to why Treevole had run away without telling him who his mistress was and why they had been watching him, Albus narrowed his eyes a moment in disagreement, wondering what the dangerous task was that Treevole had told him about. Albus than shook his head and scoffed disagreeably before closing his window again and going back over to his wardrobe.

Among all the great and legendary wizards and witches of the Battle of Hogwarts, two of these wizards were the most respected and revered of all: Albus's father, Harry Potter, and Severus Snape. Over the years after the Battle of Hogwarts, these two figures in Hogwarts history had become the most revered and respected by most of the students and by the people who studied and worked at Hogwarts School, one of which was still alive while the other had long since been dead.

But most of the Hogwarts students, as well as much of the Wizarding world for that matter, once had a hard time in deciding which of these two heroes of Hogwarts deserved the most credit for saving the Wizarding world from the evil Voldemort and his army. Though it was true that Albus's father Harry had defeated Lord Voldemort and thus ended the Battle of Hogwarts, most felt that if Severus Snape had not taken great risk in protecting Albus's father Harry from Voldemort in the first place, that Albus's father might not have even been there nor would he have lived long enough to even defeat Lord Voldemort.

Taking this into consideration, among other things that Severus had done in order to save and protect the Wizarding world from Lord Voldemort, made it undeniable that Severus Snape deserved at least some of the credit and thus some of the reverence, despite the fact that he had killed Albus Dumbledore. Albus Potter in particular had a huge respect for Severus Snape and for more reasons then he wanted or cared to think about. Even Albus's father Harry had a deeply rooted respect for Severus Snape, due to the fact that Severus had protected him for so long.

But Harry still had some unfinished business with Severus and a need to ask Severus for his forgiveness for not having treated him with more understanding and for not being a better student then he was. But this was something that Harry felt would never be fulfilled, as he had already tried to ask for Snape's forgiveness, and failed. Due to having such a huge respect for both Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, Harry had named Albus Potter after both of them in their honor.

Still in his pajamas, Albus snatched up his wand and went back to his wardrobe. While he was busy putting on his school clothes, the blankets and the pillows on Albus's bed begin to pull themselves off, hovering in the air for a moment before they began to slowly drift out through the opening to Albus's bedroom and fly down the stairs. After putting on his school clothes, Albus quickly closed the doors to his wardrobe and began walking down the stairs towards the kitchen as all manner of other clothing and bedding went flying past him as he went down the stairs, including a pair of socks, a dirty shirt, a couple bed sheets and the pair of pants that his brother James had worn the day before.

**INT. THE WELL-HOUSE LIVING ROOM – MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018) **

At the bottom of the stairs, Albus watched as all the bedding and the clothing that had followed him down toss itself into a large hamper which sat near the front door of the cottage. The lid on the hamper soon closed shut with a thud. As always, the inside of the cottage was warm and inviting, looking like what any old English Victorian country cottage would look like on the inside. The living room at the bottom of the stairs looked more like what an old English Victorian study room would look like rather than a living room.

There was a large roaring fire in the living room fireplace as well as several armchairs, Victorian style lamps, a couple desks of drawers covered with important papers, documents and other important items, bookshelves full of old and dusty books and a small center table. There were long, flowing drapes hanging all around and shelves on the walls full to the brim with pictures and other curious magical items. Albus quickly glanced over next to the hamper and noticed that the luggage and trunks that were coming with him and his siblings to Hogwarts were already waiting for them at the front door.

**INT. THE KITCHEN – MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018) **

Albus then turned and went towards the kitchen, where the rest of the family was waiting and eating breakfast at the large oak table at the center of the kitchen. Harry was reading the morning edition to the _Daily Prophe_t, while Albus's older brother, James Sirius Potter, and Albus's younger sister, Lily Luna Potter, were laughingly eating breakfast. Albus, James and Lily's mother, Ginny, was standing at the kitchen sink washing up the dishes. Lily, like her mother Ginny, had fiery red hair and had her mother's eyes. She acted very much like her mother Ginny did and was an intelligent and kind person. But like hers, Albus and James's Aunt Hermione, she relied on logical and level-headed thinking to get out of trouble. Albus quickly grabbed his breakfast from off the counter and quickly sat down next to his sister Lily.

"Ready for your second year at Hogwarts, Albus?" asked Harry, looking out at Albus from beyond the edge of his newspaper.

"I can't wait!" replied Albus cheerfully, with a grin running from ear to ear.

"I heard that there were new classes coming into Hogwarts this year, including Spell Writing and something called Magical Archery," said James, leaning over to grab the butter rum syrup from off the table and then pouring it all over his plate of blueberry pancakes, "I heard that Magical Archery is just like using your wand, only you use a bow and arrows instead."

"They sound great," said Albus as his mother Ginny brought the butter tin over to the table and sat it in front of him. Of course, both classes sounded interesting to Albus, but the Magical Archery class made him shutter inside. He was nowhere near as good with a bow and arrows then he was with his wand. That was an honor that fell upon one of his cousins, Janine, who had been a master archer ever since she was five years old. Janine, like Albus's uncle Ron, was a member of the Weasley family.

Albus had many Weasley cousins, so many in fact that it was sometimes hard for him to remember all of their names. And it wasn't only first cousins that he had a problem remembering the names of. He had second cousins and third cousins and first cousins once removed. He had near relations and distant relations and all manner of aunts and uncles, many of which were members of the Weasley persuasion, which made Albus always wonder why and how the Potter family ever got so mixed up with the Weasley family in the first place. But it was all fun and interesting to him never the less.

While the family quietly ate their breakfast, there was a knock at the front door. Ginny went over and opened the door, only to find out that it was Albus's Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione standing at the door, along with their kids Rose and Hugo. Harry turned in his chair and greeted Ron with a handshake while Ginny gave both Hermione and Ron a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Hermione leaned over Harry and gave him a kiss on the cheek from behind. Rose and Hugo took turns giving Harry and Ginny a hug and took turns greeting Albus, James and Lily. After everyone had settled at the table and had greeted one another, Ron sat down next to Albus.

Albus soon noticed his Uncle Ron smiling at him and leaning over towards him. "Ready for your second year at Hogwarts, Albus?" asked Ron happily.

This had been the second time Albus had been asked that question. Albus replied with a small grin, "I can't wait..."

Soon, everyone began to chat among themselves while Albus felt a tug on his sleeve. It was his cousin Rose, holding a book titled _The Hogwarts Book of Wizard Family Trees_.

Rose was not only one of Albus's many Weasley cousins, but was one of Albus's closest friends. She, like most of those who were of the Weasley persuasion, had flaming red hair and relied on logical thinking to get out of tight or troublesome situations. Rose was also cunning, calculative, witty and amazingly persuasive when it came to getting someone or something to do whatever she wanted.

"Hey Albus, look at this," said Rose as she handed the book to Albus. "It lists all of the pure wizard families and half-wizard families of the entire Wizarding world."

"_All_ of them?" said Albus with a hint of surprise in his voice, thinking that it must have been a huge undertaking for the writer of the book to plot and write out all the wizard family trees.

"Yes," replied Rose, "It also includes many extinct family trees, including one family that I _know_ you would be interested in."

Albus knew what his cousin was driving at. She even had a bookmark placed so that it could be found again. With a smile, Rose continued as Albus opened the book and began to look at it, "Every pure wizard or half-wizard family in this book can trace their roots all the way back to the four ancient wizard families: The Flerdinans, The Ganhumpries, The Noblias and The Van Hartigans."

"Why are there only _four_ ancient wizard families?" asked Albus, his green eyes glistening with curiosity.

"Well," said Rose, "Each of the four Founding members of Hogwarts descended from one of the ancient wizard families. I thought you knew that. Godric Gryffindor for example descended from the Noblias Family, Ravenclaw-Flerdinans; Hufflepuff-Ganhumpries..."

It soon became obvious to Albus as to which of the four ancient wizard families that the Founder of Slytherin House had descended from, which made Albus think that most if not all the descendants from the Van Hartigan family were nothing but evil and rotten to the core. However, all that Albus was interested in at the moment was the page that Rose had bookmarked.

He turned to the page where it had been bookmarked and began to peer down it. Sure enough, Rose had bookmarked the section which included the entire family tree and all the known members of _the Snape Family_, showing both the original wizard Snape family and of the Muggle branch of the Snape family. Last year, Albus had been researching on the Battle of Hogwarts for his end-of-the-year Wizard History Exam and had come across a news article in one of the old _Daily Prophet_ newspapers that were being displayed in The Hogwarts School Library.

It was an article about the mysterious disappearance and suspected body snatching of one of the fallen heroes of the Battle of Hogwarts, Severus Snape. The paper, dated May 3RD, 1998, which was the day after the death of Severus Snape, had taken Albus's attention almost immediately. He remembered reading the news article, which was titled _Body of Fallen Teacher Missing!_ with much interest.

Albus would go on to read further news articles about Severus Snape, which included among them titled _Severus Snape Honored _and _Picture Of Fallen Hero To Be Given To Hogwarts_. Albus continued to wonder afterwards as to why anyone would want to steal Severus Snape's body, unless the ones who had stolen it had planned on burying it somewhere else where no one else could find it, which seemed quite strange to Albus.

Rose had found it strange to. In fact, much of the entire Wizarding world had found it strange. There was no real reason for anyone or anything to want to steal Severus's body and unless the ones who had stolen it had some magical cure for bringing back the dead, no motive.

Albus later saw a picture of Severus Snape when he had visited the Headmaster's Office just a few days before he was to go home for the summer last year. He could remember the picture of Severus Snape well: His cold, gaunt expression, his shoulder-length black hair which framed his face in curtains, his cold, piercing black eyes, his thin and sneering mouth and the long, flowing black robes that he wore while sitting in an armchair. To Albus, Severus looked unfriendly and unfeeling and as far as Albus knew and would have quite possibly been his least favorite teacher if he had been alive to teach him. But Severus Snape was interesting to Albus never the less. But this was the least important thing on Albus's mind at the moment.

"Hey, where's Willowbree?" asked Lily, suddenly realizing that there was yet another member missing at the kitchen table.

James grinned and took a sip of his cup of orange juice before sitting it down again, "She's probably out in the aviary somewhere looking for a nice juicy bird to eat. Don't worry about her."

Lily scrunched her nose in disgust and Ron made that clicking sound that someone makes with their mouth when someone has said or did something bad or inappropriate.

"Please, James, not at the table," said Hermione disagreeably, "There are people eating."

Willowbree was a stray cat that Albus had found curled up and shivering on the lower balcony a few days ago. Willowbree's coat was pure white and spotted with amber and brown. To Albus, she appeared to be no older than two years old. Albus, as well as the rest of the Potter family, had felt pity for the animal and had decided to bring her in. Albus then named her Willowbree and had quickly become Albus's pet and close companion. She had been with Albus and the Potter family ever since. However, Albus and the family were still feeling the loss of Albus's pet familiar, or rather the family's pet ferret, Belenus, who had died sometime last year. Belenus had come to Hogwarts with Albus in his first year and although Belenus was only three years old and healthy at the time he had gone to Hogwarts with Albus, he had contracted a rare strain of Dragon-Pox, which ultimately killed him. It wasn't until Willowbree showed up that Albus decided on having another pet and another familiar.

"Well, someone has to know where Willowbree is," said Lily, "Otherwise will have to go look for her before we leave."

Everyone at the table besides Lily shook their heads.

"Oh, great," said Hugo, poking at a blueberry crumpet with his finger, "I'm tell you, that cat is mental she is. The last time I came here, she chased me all the way around the outside of the cottage for no reason!"

But Lily, grabbing up a crumpet and eating it, came to Willowbree's defense, "That's only because the perfume that you had brought over for Aunt Ginny had cat-nip in it. She had smelled it on you."

"So what? She is still mental," hissed Hugo in disagreement, "Now we have to go look for her before we leave for Diagon Alley."

Hugo, like his parents, had light skin and red, fiery hair, like most of those who were of the Weasley family, though his mother Hermione was of the Granger family. Albus closed the book that he was looking at and then handed it back to Rose.

"It's alright," said Albus, about to leave the table, "I'll go look for her."

While Albus was just about to leave the table, Albus had noticed that his father had laid his newspaper face down. Albus got a brief glimpse of an article on the back of the newspaper, though not long enough to realize the significance of the article before he quickly focused back on finding Willowbree and left the table, going towards the back door to the cottage. Ginny called over to him, telling him to find Willowbree quickly as they were going to leave for Diagon Alley soon.

**EXT. BACK GARDEN TOWARDS THE AVIARY – MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018) **

Albus quickly went through the back door and stepped out onto the lower balcony. He walked down the stairs to the aviary, which looked like a large open air structure made of glass and was draped in dead, withered vines. Albus stepped into the aviary and began to look around for Willowbree, with melodic bird song lingering in the air around him. Albus knew that Willowbree was hiding in there and tried calling her out from her hiding place.

At the far end of the aviary, there was a doorway which led straight into the large, enclosed glass greenhouse. The walls were covered over in a thick frost and were lined with long shelves full of garden tools, plant pots and bags of unused seeds. The clay pots were dusty and empty and the raised garden beds were cold and barren, filled with nothing but icy black soil.

As Albus entered the greenhouse, he watched as bare vines slowly began to sprawl themselves up the walls and stretch themselves out over the shelves around him. It was a sign that there was still just enough magic lingering in the air to entice the dormant plants from out of their slumber, if only for a brief time. Suddenly, he heard a mellowed meow resonating up from somewhere near his feet. He looked down and saw a little white paw batting at his pant leg from underneath one of the lower shelves. Albus smiled happily as he got on his knees and lifted up the empty shelf, revealing a pair of cold and haunting deep blue eyes staring up at him.

"There you are, Willowbree," said Albus with a smile, "You were trying to hide from me, weren't you?"

Relieved to see that he had found Willowbree, he picked her up and cradled her in his arms, with a lengthy and content purr reverberating from her sleek and nimble body.

"You're coming with me to Hogwarts," said Albus happily, "There's going to be other creatures there for you to play with. You'll love it."

Albus gave Willowbree a friendly scratch behind the ear, causing her to purr happily once more. Soon, James called out to Albus from the threshold of the back door. "Albus! It's time to go! Grab up Willowbree and get to the front!"

It was time to leave for Diagon Alley. Albus stood back up and turned around, walking out through the door and out of the aviary again, holding Willowbree in his arms. It was at this moment that Albus thought about Treevole again and was wondering where Treevole could have gone to and who Treevole's mistress was, as well as what the dangerous task was that Treevole had mentioned. But Albus wasn't about to go looking for Treevole when he was about to leave for Diagon Alley, where Albus would help his sister Lily gather up the supplies that she needed for school. Albus looked around for a moment, looking for any sign of Treevole.

**EXT. AROUND TO THE FRONT OF THE WELL-HOUSE – MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

But after a minute or two of looking around, Albus shrugged his shoulders and then walked around the outside of the cottage to the front, cradling Willowbree in his arms, unaware that Treevole was following him. Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny were busy loading up the luggage and the chests on the top of Ron's SUV, lashing them down tightly so that it would not fall off. Rose and Hugo were already waiting at the car. Albus soon caught a glimpse of James coming out the front door of the cottage, followed closely by Lily, who was cradling a book in her arms. James quickly locked up the front door of the cottage and began walking towards the SUV with Lily, talking with her along the way.

Albus approached the car and placed Willowbree into the back seat of the SUV. Willowbree meowed softly and then sat herself on a pillow which sat on the end of the back seat. With one last look around for Treevole, Albus got inside the SUV and closed the door. Inside, the parents sat up in front while the children sat in the back, readying themselves for another journey to Diagon Alley. Unknowing to those in the SUV however, Treevole had climbed up onto the top of the SUV and was now hiding among the luggage, grabbing onto the side of one of Albus's trunks and looking around nervously. After a minute more, Albus and the others were soon on their way to Diagon Alley and to another year at Hogwarts School.

**CONTINUED…CHAPTER 3...**


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: WHEN SEVERUS MET VERENA (PART 1)

**EXT. HOGWARTS SCHOOL GROUNDS – AFTERNOON (APR. 27TH, 1972)**

For the entire afternoon, Verena, aged 13, had been quietly hiding and brooding in the sheltering branches of a large oak tree which sat atop a vast grassy knoll, looking over a vast expanse of forest patches, wide open fields, sloping lawns, flowerbeds, vegetable patches and green rolling hills.

Verena could see Hogwarts Castle off in the distance, which sat atop a steep hill and high cliffs overlooking the large, dark loch below it, the Black Lake. Hogwarts Castle was an immense and towering structure of stone, eight stories tall, a jumble of high towers, pillars, weathered walls and tall sprawling battlements with flag poles and bright and colorful streamers which blew around in the warm spring breeze. Inside the castle, there were long, sweeping corridors, elegant arched doorways and a countless number of rooms which filled every part of the castle.

The walls of the corridors were covered in fine enchanted portraits of people and animals which moved within them, framed in elegant, finely decorated picture frames. It was also where Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was located, where young wizards and witches from the ages of 11 to 17 could go and be taught the ways of witchcraft and wizardry.

Like all students of Hogwarts, each student was sorted into one of four Houses, according to their personality traits: For those who were brave and chivalrous, it was House Gryffindor; for those who were intelligent and creative, it was House Ravenclaw; for those who were hard working and loyal, it was House Hufflepuff; and for those who were ambitious and resourceful, it was House Slytherin.

Verena could never forget the day when she had been sorted into House Ravenclaw. As was occasionally the case of some students, Verena had been rather difficult to place, as she also bared many of the personality traits and qualities that were revered by both House Slytherin and House Gryffindor. But in the end, she had been sorted into House Ravenclaw, as it was often the will of the student which chose the House they wanted to be in.

And like all students who were of House Ravenclaw, she wore the Ravenclaw House colors of blue and gray about her long and flowing school robes, marked with the Ravenclaw House insignia of a raven. Unnoticed by the other students who were wandering about below her underneath her feet, Verena continued to look down upon them silently, sitting high upon a thick branch that was stretched over the ground below her.

Some of these students were playing with their wands and testing out there flying skills atop long brooms while others were quietly reading books underneath nearby trees and busily scribbling notes onto yellow stained parchment with board pointed quills. Verena shook her head and let out a long sigh of boredom, as though the long hours of sitting around and doing nothing were starting to take its toll on her.

But then – pop! – a light skinned boy with brownish-blond hair and stormy gray eyes suddenly appeared next to her, causing her to jump and yelp in surprise, nearly causing her to fall almost fifteen feet to the ground below.

"Idiot dunderhead, Trevor!" Verena shrieked angrily, punching Trevor in his left side. Trevor mouthed the word _ouch_ as his face wrenched briefly from the punch and rubbed his side briefly.

"I told you never to surprise me like that!" Verena hissed once more, "If you want to abuse your Apparition powers, you could at least give me some warning!"

Verena narrowed her eyes and scowled, her face contorting with anger and disapproval. Although Verena appeared to be small and stringy, she had an air of authority and grace about her. She had a cold, calm, bitter, cynical and sarcastic disposition which often reflected on her pallid face. But in the case of Trevor, she had made a most disagreeable exception. Trevor however, was amused and cheerful as always, undeterred by Verena's harsh words.

"But that's no fun, Verena," said Trevor, "If I had warned you, I would have never got a chance to see that funny, grim look upon your face!"

Like Verena, Trevor was of House Ravenclaw and thus wore the same colors and robes like that of Verena. And like Verena, Trevor was born and raised in a rustic English village that was collectively known as The Shambles.

The Shambles was an elaborately complex village that was predominantly inhabited by wizards, witches and magical folk alike. It included vast hanging gardens, small fenced in parks, trees, patches of green grass and flower beds. The cobblestone streets were flanked by Victorian street lamps as well as street vendors, pubs, shops, inns and a various rustic assortment of terraced row houses and rows of small shingled, thatched roofed English cottages. All of this was built atop five long and wide viaducts made of cobblestone and brick. The viaducts were connected by a vast network of brightly lit cobblestone footbridges that were stretched out over the empty spaces which lied between the viaducts.

The viaducts stood 700 feet high, standing side by side to one another, built across the river of Topplemoor which flowed underneath them. It was called The Shambles for good reason, as there were bits and pieces stuck all over everything in the village, as though a child had taken pieces of old foundation, metal and wood and then glued them onto everything in sight. There were also broken rows of small rustic English huts that were stuck to the sides of the viaducts, overlooking the river below. The buildings and structures that were sitting on top of the viaducts were only accessible to the small huts by means of narrow balconies and staircases that stretched out from the sides of the viaducts and led up to the main platforms above.

"Why are you here anyway?" hissed Verena, "You should know perfectly well that I don't like sharing this tree with anyone. My great grandfather grew this tree from a seedling and planted it on these grounds many years ago. And besides, shouldn't you be beating bludgers around with the Ravenclaw team on the Quidditch pitch right now? We have an important game against House Slytherin later this afternoon!"

"Practice ended early," said Trevor happily, "And besides, you looked like you were bored and lonely up here. I just thought you wouldn't mind the company."

Verena looked on, agitated and put out. She narrowed her eyes once more and gave a disagreeable snort, crossing her arms over her chest. At that moment, Trevor smiled serenely at her and pulled out his wand. He waved his wand through the air. "_Accio_ flask!" said Trevor enthusiastically, conjuring up a small, sliver flask out of thin air.

He grabbed hold of the flask and offered it over to Verena, "Here," Trevor continued, "Have some of my Boggerberry juice! I made it from fresh berries I picked from Professor Sprout's greenhouse this morning."

Of course, Verena had the nagging suspicion that there was something sinister in the flask. For all she knew, the flask was full of some wicked cursed potion that might turn her into something horrid or make her do something that she would not normally want to do.

"You first, Trevor James Bobscandel!" said Verena, narrowing her eyes and sneering mischievously. Of course, her suspicions were proven well founded when a grin of mischief once again began to form on Trevor's face as he slowly shook his head.

"How are you able to do that?" Trevor breathed, as Verena scowled at him once more. Her eyes were nothing but slits now, as a stern and contemptuous look fell upon her face.

"I am not a fool, Trevor!" snapped Verena, "I know you've been trying to slip Kissing Potion into my pumpkin juice lately. Think I was going to fall for that just so that you could try and get me to kiss you...only in your dreams, Trevor!"

"Awe, Verena!" said Trevor childishly, as he stuffed the flask deep into his right robe pocket. "You're no fun! You know how much I like you."

"My name does not mean _truth_ for nothing, flirtatious Bobscandelous!" snarled Verena.

"I love it when you call me that!" grinned Trevor, leaning into and towards Verena, "Come on, just one little kiss please!"

"Arggh! Get lost!" hissed Verena, putting her hand on Trevor's face and pushing it away from hers. "You are sickening me! I know all of your tricks Trevor Bobscandel, much more then you realize! And I can always see the truth and intention behind them! And you are a fool to think that I was going to fall for it!"

Trevor smirked mischievously, leaning away and enjoying every ounce of Verena's bantering at him. "I will never understand you, Verena." said Trevor with a grin.

"Good!" said Verena curtly, "I don't want you to! Now run along flirtatious Bobscandelous, before I do something to you with my wand that I'm going to regret! Find that other girl you're so interested in…Enola Pendragon is it, of House Gryffindor? I'm sure she'll oblige you because I certainly won't!"

With his plan faltered, Trevor shook his head and scoffed. And with a swish of his wand, there was another loud pop and Trevor vanished into thin air out of Verena's sight. With Trevor now gone, a tiny smirk formed on the corner of Verena's thin mouth. She could not say that she wasn't amused by Trevor's ill-fated attempt at trying to steal a kiss from her.

There was no denying that Trevor, being two years older than her, was smitten with her and was using every trick in the book to try and gain her love and affection. However, this amusement was swiftly short lived as the sounds of panting and hurrying footsteps rushed past her from under her feet. Looking down past her feet, she could see that it was a stringy, black haired boy with pale skin, running as hard and as fast as his legs could carry him. It was also a boy that she clearly recognized.

"Look! Snivellus is trying to run away again!" said another light skinned, dark haired boy, who quickly ran close behind the other.

That boy was then quickly followed by several more students, who were brandishing the red and gold colors and the insignia of a lion upon their long and sweeping school robes. Verena looked on angrily, her cold, piercing blue eyes staring down upon the scene which was unfolding before her.

"Snivellus, Come back! We haven't pulled down your trousers yet!" said yet another boy, bespectacled, with light skin and short black hair, as he ran past.

"Meddlesome Gryffindor students!" shrieked Verena angrily, "Why can't you just leave those who are less able to defend themselves alone! Leave him alone!"

But her angry cries fell upon deaf ears. Angered, bored and not wanting to miss out on what was happening in front of her, Verena climbed down from her perch and swiftly chased after the group of fleeing students who began to vanish behind a gathering of large granite boulders. After a few minutes of running after the group of Gryffindor students, she suddenly stopped and slipped behind one of the larger boulders which were scattered across the large, grassy field behind Hogwarts Castle.

To Verena, it appeared as though the group had lost sight of their quarry and they were now busy trying to relocate it. But unlike these students, Verena had been the more observant one. She knew precisely where the boy they had been chasing had run off to and continued her way there, keeping herself hidden and unnoticed by the Gryffindor students in front of her.

After walking over the school grounds for several yards, she quickly found her way to an area of the school grounds known as the Crying Ruins. They were called as such because the large gathering of stones, boulders and broken walls in the area were almost constantly weeping water. So was told so very long ago, once evil spirits were trapped in these boulders and ruins for all the evil deeds they had done.

Now the sobs and cries of these evil spirits could be heard coming from the boulders and ruins in the area, their tears seeping through into the living world through the moss covered stone and heavily vine draped ruins. This was a place that was often avoided, as it was such a terribly sad and depressed place, but it was also the perfect hiding place.

Verena turned a corner before she stopped and hid behind a large boulder, the sounds of soft sobbing, retching and crying filling the air around her. Peering around the edge of the ruin, she caught sight of the boy that the group of Gryffindor students had been ruthlessly chasing and tormenting. The boy was cowering behind a large boulder, looking towards the place where the group of Gryffindor students was standing.

The boy was wearing the colors of green and black upon his long and flowing robes, along with the insignia of a snake which marked him as being a student of House Slytherin.

Knowing who the boy was and where he had come from, Verena silently walked up behind him and spoke, "You're that Severus Snape boy who comes from the town of Cokeworth aren't you?"

Startled, the boy jumped a couple feet into the air and let out a cry of fright, before turning to face Verena and flattening himself against the boulder. Verena smirked slightly, as though she was mildly amused by the fact that she had made the boy jump in fright.

"A bit jumpy are we?" said Verena softly, though she was not sounding as bitter and ill-natured as she usually did.

"Who are you?" snarled Severus, his cold black eyes peering out past overlong black hair which frames his pallid face in curtains. "Go away! Leave me alone!"

To Verena, Severus appeared to be slightly paler and slightly stringier then she was. He was also clearly shaken, not just because Verena sneaked up behind him, but because he was scared that he might be found there by the group of Gryffindor students, who were now starting to crest over the small hill which lied beyond the Crying Ruins. To Severus, he felt as though he had been wedged between a rock and a hard place, for he not only had to worry about the group of Gryffindor students coming his way, but also about Verena, who was standing between him and his only means of escape.

"Well, aren't you? Severus Snape?" said Verena, glaring at him and crossing her arms.

"Why would you want to know?" hissed Severus, sneering.

"Because I want to," said Verena softly, "I may be of a rival House, but I know a kindred soul when I see one."

"I am no kindred soul of yours!" snapped Severus as he began to regain his composure and his courage, "You are of Ravenclaw House! An enemy! I would not dare make friends or associate myself with such filth!"

Though Severus was clearly trying to insult Verena and get Verena to leave from his sights, Verena remained unaffected by Severus, neither convinced by nor yielding to his harsh, but empty words.

"Oh, don't give me that!" hissed Verena, wearing a cold, stern look upon her face. "You act just like me! Your hair style is even the same as mine! I don't know if you realize this, but it appears to me that we were meant to be friends in some way."

"But you're Ravenclaw! I am Slytherin!" spat Severus.

"So what?" said Verena curtly, uncrossing her arms and bringing them down to her sides. "Both of my parents were of Slytherin House and I didn't think any less of them! My wizard blood is just as pure as yours, if not more so!"

"Snape!" said the voice of another, breaking the attention of that Verena and Severus had on each other.

Looking over towards the small hill, they saw that it was the light skinned, bespectacled boy with short black hair, who had broken away from the rest of the Gryffindor group and was now finding his way to where Severus and Verena now stood.

"I know you're hiding over here!" called out the boy, "I heard you cry out! What's the matter? Did someone else pull down your trousers without me knowing?"

A look of dread suddenly fell upon Severus's sallow face, giving out a fleeting whimper and casting a pleading glance between Verena and the boy. The boy was going to find Severus for sure if he did not find a way to get past Verena and escape to the safety of the castle or to some other part of the grounds.

Perhaps using his wand could help him get away from Verena and the boy, but Severus was so full of dread of what would happen to him at this moment, using his wand to escape would have been the worst and last thing for him to do. Though Severus was not saying that he wanted help with his voice, he was most certainly expressing it. Verena, realizing that Severus would soon be in the hands of troublesome Gryffindor students, she looked over at the boy coming over the hill coldly before glancing back at Severus again.

"Follow me," said Verena, as she quickly turned on her heels and darted towards the rear entrance to Hogwarts Castle, running over the back courtyard with Severus following reluctantly close behind.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THIRD FLOOR CORRIDOR – AFTERNOON (APR. 27TH, 1972)**

The wondrous world of wizards and witches had always been full of strange and fantastic creatures. Things that were considered odd and out of the ordinary in the normal, everyday world of non-magical folk, was considered normal and commonplace amongst those who lived in the Wizarding realm.

Thus, it was no surprise to Verena and Severus to see the ghost of one of the dead school librarians, which came floating past them as they ran past. The ethereal specter looked up from the book that it was reading and scowled at them, clearly not amused by the sudden disturbance of thundering footsteps hurrying down the long, narrow corridor towards the entrance to the school library.

"Sorry!" yelled Verena, as she quickly turned a corner and vanished.

"Sorry!" yelled Severus, as he vanished around the corner with Verena.

Severus and Verena quickly ran through the entrance to the school library with their long and sweeping robes blowing back behind them, flanked by long wooden tables and rows of long, sweeping bookshelves of old and dusty books. They were deep within the interior of the library by the time Verena stopped and brought herself behind one of the crowded bookshelves, quickly pulling Severus behind it by the arm and right up next to her.

With hands to their knees, they stood for a brief moment, panting and looking up at one another as though both were surprised that they were so willing to follow one another and run away together. After a few moments more, Verena stood up straight again and leaned herself up against the bookshelf behind her.

"Wasn't that James Potter? The leader of the Marauders that we were just running away from?" asked Verena.

"Yes, that was James Potter...meddlesome, wicked Potter," replied Snape, though he was not at all pleased about uttering the name aloud as he finally stood up straight again.

Verena scoffed, as though she was not amused with placing the name with the face. She was never really acquainted with James Potter except through her friendship with Trevor Bobscandel, but she knew James Potter well enough to know that he was not at all the type of student that she would make friendly with.

"Phbt! Such trouble that Potter boy is!" snarled Verena, "I have a right mind to take out my wand and teach that arrogant Gryffindor creep and his loathsome Gryffindor cronies a lesson! I am at least two years older than him! I can easily give him what for!"

As Verena started to banter on about James and his friends, a subtle glint of amusement began to form on Severus's face. Perhaps there was some manner of kinship there between him and Verena, despite the fact that she was of House Ravenclaw. Perhaps she was meant to be his friend. But he was still unsure about her.

"Why did you help me?" said Severus, wearing a shrewd look of puzzlement upon his face.

"Because I wanted to," said Verena softly, speaking barely above a whisper. "And besides, The Marauders are a bunch of meddlesome Gryffindor creeps. But it doesn't matter to me if you're Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, no student deserves to be tormented by them unless deserving of it."

Verena pulled out a book from the bookshelf behind her and went to sit at one of the nearby tables, placing the book down on the table in front of her, "But you really need to work more on your defensive spells if you wish to truly stand up against James and the Marauders. You can't just keep following the Marauders around all the time trying to find them doing something wrong. That's cowardly!"

"I am not a coward!" hissed Severus, narrowing his eyes at Verena.

"I never said you were," said Verena softly, "I just said it was cowardly. Come, sit down next to me and I will show you something in this book that can help you."

Hesitant to accept Verena's gesture of good will, Severus again began to look around him cautiously for any sign of other Slytherin students that might be in the library with him. However, seeing Slytherin students in this library was somewhat unlikely, as they had their own collection of books in their own part of the castle from which to read and study from.

"We're not in the Dark Arts Library, Severus," said Verena nonchalantly, noticing what Severus was doing. "It's alright. We're quite safe here...I think..."

But the scowling and piercing looks that were being projected from some of the students that were sitting at some of the nearby tables were telling Verena otherwise. Verena thought that she would certainly be called a traitor for helping a student from House Slytherin. But she did not care what they were thinking. Severus needed her help and her guidance and nothing was going to deter her from achieving that goal. Seeing as there were no other Slytherin students around, Severus cautiously walked over to Verena and sat down next to her.

However, Trevor wasn't the only student in Hogwarts who had a fondness for Verena. To many students at Hogwarts, Verena was a beautiful girl as well as a complete and utter mystery, which was something that was considered attractive to some. But for one student of House Slytherin in particular, she was of particular interest. It didn't take long for that student to walk up and announce his presence to Verena and Severus.

"Is this seat taken?" said the voice of an older student, who was wearing long, flowing Slytherin robes, his cold gray eyes looking down upon the sight before him. Severus, suddenly noticing the Slytherin student behind him and knowing who the Slytherin student was, a look of dread swiftly fell upon his face.

"Lucius Malfoy," said Verena nonchalantly, looking behind her and up at Lucius with a subtle smile of mischief, "I was just thinking about you. I was wondering how you were getting along with Narcissa Black."

Though Verena was looking up and smiling softly and mischievously at Lucius, Severus on the other hand was looking absolutely petrified. He was not at all expecting to see Lucius here, among so many Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students and fears that Lucius would tell other Slytherin students that he had been sitting with someone from House Ravenclaw.

But instead of narrowing his eyes and scowling in disapproval, Lucius gave a smile of mild amusement and sat down to the left of Verena while Severus continued to sit to her right.

Lucius Malfoy was tall and spindly with long blond hair and a pointed face. He was four years older than Verena and five years older than Severus. He was also ruthless, arrogant, selfish and snobbish, as well as being highly concerned with his reputation. In many respects, Lucius seemed to be a perfect match for Verena to take on. Though from what Severus could see of the relationship between Verena and Lucius, Verena was not letting Lucius's charms get to her so easily.

As a Slytherin Prefect, Lucius was an older Slytherin student of authority and had the power to keep the younger Slytherin students in line. He was also one of Severus's most promising and highly respected best friends who did nothing but speak high praises for Severus. Next to his and Snape's other close friend, Victor Scabior, Lucius was the one person who would always stand up for Severus whenever he would get into trouble, no matter if Severus was at fault in the matter or not.

Lucius had even once shared the blame for something that Severus had done and they both ended up sharing detention together, made to spend the entire afternoon pulling weeds out of the Snapdragon Patch. It was dirty work considering that you were forced to wear your punishment for a brief time afterwards in the form of soiled robes and muddy faces, which was in some ways doubling your punishment.

Snapdragons were enchanted crimson colored magical plants whose flowers were shaped like a dragon's head that would snap and bite at you whenever you got to close to them. Again, it was all a part of the punishment. However, Lucius did not care that he was being punished for something that he did not take part in, as it was an excuse for him to get out of having to take the end-of-the-week potions exam in Potions class. But it was never the less all in good fun and in the friendship that he and Severus shared.

"I see that you've found an interest in the younger blood, Verena," said Lucius mischievously, "What's the matter? Am I not worthy of your interest and affection?"

Lucius looked around Verena at Severus, who was shifting his eyes nervously and sinking into his chair, while Verena narrowed her eyes and sneered at Lucius.

"Don't give me that, Lucius," hissed Verena, "I know your heart lies with Narcissa. She is much more worthy of you then I will ever be. And besides, I am Ravenclaw, and with a Slytherin student of your caliber and standing, our relationship would never be accepted. Also, you're four years older than I am. Come the end of this year, you will be graduating from Hogwarts and then who will I be able to flirt with?"

"Please, flirt with me, I don't mind." said Lucius mischievously.

Though Verena had long since fallen for Lucius's charms, she was not about to show it by obliging to him. Of course, Severus could not believe what he was seeing and hearing. Never, in all the time that he had known Lucius, did he ever see Lucius pine so much for a girl, especially when she was of House Ravenclaw.

"At least with Narcissa, you have a better chance at finding true love!" said Verena coolly, "Narcissa is not that much younger then you are. She is also from a highly respected Slytherin family. Though I can't say the same for her first cousin Sirius. Imagine a member of the Black family becoming turn coat and joining Gryffindor and the Marauders...it's almost to unthinkable to imagine."

Though silently, Verena had to admit that it was a pretty courageous and gutsy move on Sirius Black's part. Most Slytherin folk believed that all magical powers, abilities and teachings should be kept only within pure wizard blood families, untainted by those of non-magical or inferior blood. The Black family was genuinely Slytherin by blood and the thought of any member of the Black family being in Gryffindor was not only seen as a traitor to the pure blood ways of Slytherin wizard folk, but was considered to be utter blasphemy.

"You know, Severus, you need not worry about being seen as a traitor to our House," said Lucius, smiling over at Severus as Severus continued to sink further and further into his chair, shifting his eyes nervously and looking as though he was uncomfortable being there. "Verena is the exception among Ravenclaw students. Many Slytherin students like her and feel that she should have been placed in Slytherin instead of Ravenclaw."

Both curious and confused, Severus suddenly rose up in his chair and began to listen to Lucius with interest. Since when was a student of Ravenclaw favored by Slytherin? Verena must have clearly made an impression on the Slytherin students that no other student of Ravenclaw has ever done before. Though Severus thought that there was more to this story then met the eye.

"My place is with Ravenclaw, not with Slytherin..." hissed Verena softly, "and neither is it with Gryffindor."

"You see, I was in a bit of trouble some time ago and Verena helped me get out of it," said Lucius, "Like you, I found it rather surprising to me that a student of Ravenclaw was so willing to help a student of Slytherin House when for the most part, it seemed to be so wrong. I am her friend and continue to be indebted to her for that day. Though I would much prefer that we were more than just friends."

Verena once again narrowed her eyes at Lucius and sneered. Realizing that his charms, as far as he could tell, were not winning Verena over so easily, Lucius smiled and looked over at Severus again and smiled, "I don't know what you did to get Verena interested in you, Severus, but whatever it is, I want to know."

"Go find Narcissa will you," said Verena breathlessly, opening the book in front of her and peering down its pages. "I think I hear her calling for you."

"Very well, I'm leaving..." said Lucius as he got up from his chair and started walking off. But before he got too far away from the table, he looked back and spoke again, "By the way you two, the Quidditch match is in one hour. I suggest you two get ready soon before your Quidditch captains find you here together and change their minds about your places on the Quidditch teams...good day."

Verena looked over the edge of the book and narrowed her eyes at Lucius before Lucius smiled and turned away, strutting towards the entrance to the library. Verena scoffed and shook her head before looking back at the book again. Severus on the other hand, continued to look on in shrewd puzzlement, more confused than ever.

**CONTINUED…CHAPTER 4…**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: THE MAN IN THE CLOAK

**EXT. DRIVING TO WILLOW'S WELL - MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

This was to be Lily's and Hugo's first trip to Diagon Alley and to Hogwarts, but it was to be the second time for Albus and the third time for James and Rose. Diagon Alley was a busy, narrow and hidden away cobbled street in London that was lined with a wide assortment of shops, restaurants and street vendors that were there specifically for wizards and witches. Diagon Alley was connected to a maze of narrow cobbled side streets which would often lead to further shops and establishments and even to places where dark wizards and witches would normally only go to. It was a place well known to the Wizarding world and was a place where wizards and witches of all ages and all kinds would go to get many of the supplies they needed for work or for school.

**EXT. WILLOW'S WELL TO TOWN CENTER - MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

After a 15 minute drive into Willow's Well, Ron drove the SUV into an empty parking lot which was located not too far from the only library in Willow's Well. From there, they all walked down the street towards Willow Well's town center, which was brimming with the activity of the colorful street vendors which lied within it. There was a wide assortment of wizards, witches and trusted Muggles there. Many that were seen there were wearing the signature attire of long, flowing robes whereas only some of them were wearing tall and pointed hats.

Soon, Albus caught the sight of a tall, blank slab of rock which stood up on its end at the very heart of the town center, seemingly unnoticed among the bustling crowds that moved around it. Albus and the others quickly gathered around it in anticipation. This was the Willow's Well entrance to Diagon Alley. Soon, Harry took out his wand and then tapped the front of the slab with it three times.

**EXT. TO INT. DIAGON ALLEY TO THREE LION'S HEADS PUB AND INN- MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

Albus watched as an entrance began to form on the face of the slab. In an instant, the slab opened up, revealing Diagon Alley in all its glory, lined with elegant lamp posts. Unaware that Willowbree had jumped out of the SUV and had followed them all the way to the town center, Albus and the others walked through the entrance in the slab and into Diagon Alley. Willowbree watched from a safe distance for a moment, making sure that Albus and the others were through before following along after them herself. The entrance closed quickly behind Willowbree. Unsurprising to those who came there, Diagon Alley was so usually crowded and brimming with activity, which made it all the more easy for Willowbree to walk down the sidewalk and disappear into the fray unnoticed.

As the children looked on in awe at everything that was happening around them, Willowbree slipped into the doorway of _The Three Lion's Heads Pub_. The seedy English pub sat not far from the entrance to Nightshear Alley, a cobbled side street that was lined with lamp posts and where some of the most well-known magical herb shops were located. These herbal shops were decorated with their own wares in some way, either displaying them out on shelves or in display cases inside the shops, displaying them outside on long strings which were hung out in front of the shops or were hung outside on displays, though it was usually all of the above. Inside the pub, Willowbree walked quietly past the tables and along the cold stone floor, walking past a large, lit corner fireplace and looking around her at everyone and everything. In the far corner of the pub, Willowbree jumped up onto a table and meowed, looking at what appeared to be a hooded male figure, his face unseen under the hood of a long, flowing black cloak.

The hooded man was sitting alone at the table, with the people looking on around him as if they were in some way frightened of the man. Soon, a pale hand covered up by a black fingerless glove slowly came out from underneath the cloak, a hand which held a black and sinister looking wand. Willowbree continued to stare at the hooded figure, who gave a single nod towards her as if he knew why she was there.

**EXT. DIAGON ALLEY, OUTSIDE THE PUB - MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

Outside in Diagon Alley, Albus, Lily and Hugo were looking through the large glass window of a pet shop at some of the creatures that were being displayed on pedestals and in cages, while Harry and the other adults were checking out some things at one of the nearby street vendors. Albus's brother James and his cousin Rose were busy shopping for supplies elsewhere further down the street. Lily looked in through the large glass window of the pet shop that she, Albus and Hugo were looking into and saw a dark gray owl that was spotted with white and sitting inside of a glittering sliver cage.

"Let's get that one," said Lily as she pointed to the owl, "He would be the perfect mail owl for us to have at Hogwarts."

"We agree!" said Albus and Hugo together, and nodded their heads in agreement. Lily walked into the pet shop to fetch the bird. Lily soon came out again and held the cage with the owl inside it up in front of her, "I think I will name him Featherbeak."

"Featherbeak?" spat Hugo disagreeably, "What a silly name for an owl!"

"It is not _your_ owl!" spat Lily back at Hugo as she brought the cage down again. "I bought him and therefore it is my choice as to what I should be naming him!"

"What do you think, Albus?" asked Hugo, looking over at Albus, hoping that Albus would think the same way as he did about the name that Lily had chosen for the owl.

"I think it's great," said Albus with a grin, "It's very self-explanatory."

With that, Hugo scoffed disagreeably and they continued walking down the street towards Ollivander's, unaware that the hooded man that Willowbree had approached in the pub earlier had walked out of the pub and was now standing out in front of it, staring over at Albus and the others as they left. At Ollivander's, Lily and Hugo bought a wand and then they next moved onto a street vendor that was selling small cauldrons.

After two last stops at a magical herb store and a book shop to gather up a few herbs and books that Lily and Hugo needed for school, Lily, Albus and Hugo double backed and went back towards the Willow's Well entrance to Diagon Alley. As they were heading back to where their parents were waiting for them, Albus stopped and looked through the window of a candy store, peering at all the delicious looking treats that were being displayed inside.

Suddenly, his eyes saw the reflection of a hooded figure in the window slowly creeping up behind him. Albus turned around and looked up at who was standing behind him. It was the hooded man from the pub, with his face still hidden in the darkness of the hood that was over his head.

"Um, hello?" said Albus apprehensively, "Did you...want something?"

At that moment, Albus could see arms rustling from underneath the front of the hooded man's cloak. The hooded man pulled back the front of his cloak, revealing black cloths and long sleeves underneath. The cuffs on the hooded man's sleeves were in such a way to where they were completely covering up his wrists and were drawn halfway up his hands. The hooded man also appeared to be wearing black fingerless gloves and a blue iridescent scarf underneath his cloak. The scarf was long and looked like something that was more suited for someone who was of House Ravenclaw then for the person who was wearing it now. The long sleeves of the hooded man were flanked by a line of round buttons that went down the sides of the sleeves and stuck out prominently.

Albus was still unsure about the hooded man intentions as a soft and silkily voice whispered out from under the hood, "Do you have it?"

Albus glared at the hooded man as though he did not know what the hooded man was talking about.

"Do I have _what_, sir?" asked Albus.

The hooded man paused for a moment and looked away briefly before looking back at Albus and speaking again, "Remarkably like your father, young Potter," said the hooded man coolly and sarcastically, "And I would have thought that the son of the great Harry Potter wouldn't be as much of a dunderhead as his blessed father once was."

"Excuse me?" scoffed Albus, suddenly becoming mildly defensive towards the hooded man, "My father is not a dunderhead. He is a great and powerful wizard!"

The hooded man scoffed.

"Just who do you think you are?" spat Albus.

The hooded man snapped once more, "The book, boy!"

"What book?" Albus snapped back, becoming more irritated with the hooded man by the minute.

"The book that Treevole was supposed to have given you, idiot boy!" spat the hooded man once more, "Do you have it?"

Albus paused in surprise for a moment. How did this man know about Treevole and what was this book that Treevole was supposed to have given him? More importantly, how did the hooded man even know that he was Harry Potter's son?

Albus spoke once more, "I didn't get a book from Treevole, was I supposed to?"

There was a brief pause and then from under the hood, the hooded man spoke coolly, "Listen to me, Potter. _That_ book is very important to someone and even though it is merely a copy of the original book, it is still a dangerous book to possess. Its only supposed to be given to you because its owner believes that you can learn much from it without messing things up," said the hooded man as he leaned in, getting close to Albus's face with the man's face still hidden in the shadows of his black hood. This made Albus feel more and more uncomfortable.

The hooded man continued, "If you really aren't the dunderhead that your father was, you will obey the rules that the book has laid out for you once you have received it. Its owner trusts that you will use the book responsibly while you have it in your possession. Since your father has already dabbled into it without its owner's consent, its owner has decided to let you use the book while you reside at school. Do not _disappoint_ him!"

And with that, the hooded man turned and disappeared back into the crowd as quickly as he appeared from it, with his long, flowing black cloak blowing back behind him. This left Albus confused as to who the hooded man was. But all that Albus knew that that moment was that he didn't like the way the hooded man had spoken to him or how he had spoken about his father. Albus knew that if he ever saw the hooded man again, it would be too soon. Soon, Albus heard his father calling for him and quickly ran off towards his father's voice. After leaving Diagon Alley and getting back to the parking lot with their supplies, Albus and the others were surprised to discover Willowbree curled up on the hood of the SUV, looking at Albus with a glittering stare.

"Hold on," said Hugo, "How did Willowbree get out of the SUV? I didn't see her get out."

"It appears that she had sneaked out without us noticing. She must have followed Albus out of the SUV after we left." said Lily as she and Hugo opened up the back door of the SUV and began putting their new supplies and Lily's new pet Featherbeak inside it.

Lily then crawled into the back seat and closed the door behind her. Concernedly, Albus picked Willowbree up off the hood of the SUV and began looking her over to make sure that she did not get into anything while she was outside of the SUV.

"She seems like she is alright," said Albus as Willowbree meowed softly, purring quietly, "But how did she get out in the first place?"

"I don't know and I don't care," said Hugo, quickly jumping into the back of the SUV, "Come on, Albus. Bring Willowbree and let's get going. The Hogwarts Express is waiting!"

Albus quickly carried Willowbree to the back of the SUV, putting her into the back seat before he got into the back seat and closed the door behind him. With their parents already inside the SUV, they continued onward down the street towards King's Cross Station. They were unaware that a stream of black smoke had flown up from the ground and was hovering high in the sky behind them, manifesting itself into the shape of a dark streaming cloud before it quickly darting after the SUV.

**EXT. A NARROW COBBLED PATH, COKEWORTH, NORTHERN ENGLAND – EVENING (AUG. 23RD, 1958)**

Along a narrow cobbled path along the banks of the Cokewell River, Tobias and Eileen walked arm to arm alone together, having just left the reception hall to have a quiet time alone near the river's edge. But Tobias had more than just a quiet time with Eileen on his mind. It was something that Tobias had had on his mind ever since the reception, but couldn't get himself to ask Eileen about it until now.

"I want to know something Eileen," said Tobias suddenly as he and Eileen walked arm to arm down the narrow cobbled path. "What was that scandal that my father was yelling about at the reception hall earlier?"

"It's a rather warm night tonight isn't it, Tobias?" said Eileen, who was trying to change the subject as though she was trying to avoid answering Tobias's question. "Soon, it's going to be too cold for us to have these pleasant night walks together."

"Eileen please! Tell me! I know you know something about it!" Tobias insisted. At that moment, Eileen sighed and stopped, turning to look up at Tobias sadly.

"Yes, I do know about it. In fact, I know a great deal about it," said Eileen softly, "But I fear that you might not like it."

"It's alright. Just tell me, I want to know." said Tobias insistently.

"Alright, have you ever heard of Scead Potter or the Potter family?" asked Eileen. Tobias shook his head as Eileen continued, "Well, you do recall that Serinus Snape was married to a cousin, Evelina Snape?"

Tobias nodded his head as Eileen continued once more, "Well, it seems that Serinus Snape came home one evening and found his wife having an affair with Scead Potter. He was a wizard, just like Evelina and Serinus were. Anyway, Scead had known Evelina ever since they went to school together and had been visiting her at night when Serinus was away. Evelina loved Serinus but she also loved Scead, which made it quite hard for her to choose who she really loved and wanted to be with.

"Anyway, when Serinus found out, he was so angry and crushed, that he stormed out of the house that he shared with Evelina and never returned, taking with him a few magical items that he didn't want Evelina to keep, for fear that she might use them on him. One of these magical items was particularly powerful and Serinus wanted to make certain that Evelina would never find it and use it on him, so he took it someplace secret for safekeeping. He then divorced Evelina and later re-married to a Muggle, thus creating the Muggle Snape family line that we are now a part of. Serinus and Evelina however, were members of the wizard Snape family."

"Wait, the original Snape family was the wizard Snape family?" said Tobias, "My father never told me about them!"

"Indeed, but they don't exist anymore," said Eileen, "Though I gathered that your father hasn't told you about them since your family are so much against wizards."

"Wizards," muttered Tobias contemptuously, narrowing his eyes and scowling, "What makes them so much better than we are? Always waving those silly wands around and making out like their better than us Muggles! As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to have anything to do with wizards and magic of any sort!"

Suddenly, Tobias heard his brother Edward calling for him from atop the embankment that lied out in front of Tobias and Eileen, "Come on you two! You need to get to the train and head off to your honeymoon! It's getting late!"

"Come on Eileen, we need to hurry!" said Tobias excitedly as he broke away from Eileen and began storming up the embankment towards Edward and his sisters. At that moment, a look of sadness fell upon Eileen's face as she walked slowly and calmly towards the embankment. What she heard from Tobias's lips was what she had feared the most. Tobias, like all the others of the Muggle Snape family, greatly despised wizards and anything that involved magic and the Wizarding world. This of course, made Eileen ever more determined not to tell Tobias the secret about her that she now had bottled up deeply inside. She would not tell Tobias that she was a witch for a long time, if she would ever tell him at all.

**INT. THE GREAT HALL – MORNING (MAY. 26TH, 2007)**

Nearly nine years after the death of Severus Snape, much had changed within the school faculty and within Hogwarts Castle itself. There was a new group of young wizards and witches waiting to be taught all they needed to know about magic, as well as a new school faculty:

Professor Vadamus Titch, the new headmaster of Hogwarts, who replaced McGonagall after her retirement as Head Mistress;

Professor Christine Margarine née McGonagall the new head of Gryffindor House and Minerva's younger sister;

Professor Neffaria Whippoorwill, who just graduated from Hogwarts and was now the youngest Head of House Hufflepuff in the history of Hogwarts;

Professor Gregus Groset, the new Head of House Slytherin and the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, who was also Edward Groset's son;

Professor Reginald Dresdale, the new Head of House Ravenclaw and the new Potions teacher;

Professor Morphos Moody, the grandson of Alistor Moody and the new Astronomy teacher;

Of course, there were three familiar faces still present at Hogwarts:

Professor Rubeus Hagrid, who was still the gamekeeper at Hogwarts and was once again the Care of Magical Creatures teacher;

Professor Neville Longbottom, the Herbology Teacher;

And Professor Sybill Trelawney, who was still the Divinations teacher.

In truth, Hagrid, Neville and Trelawney were the last three original faculty members from Harry Potter's time, and were in many ways legends among the school staff and the students at Hogwarts School. As it had always been,there was much mystery and enchantment within the walls of Hogwarts Castle. So many tales of legendary wizards and witches who had fought bravely in the Battle Of Hogwarts nine years ago, including stories of the great Harry Potter and his friends, Hermione and Ron.

It was this generation of new and budding wizards and witches that had long since grown up listening to the stories that their parents would tell about those legendary wizards and witches, those of both of the living world and of those who have passed on. But for a boy by the name of Joseph Bobscandel, the younger son of Trevor Bobscandel and Morgana Bobscandel née Tavarti, there was only one mystery of Hogwarts that sparked his interest, the mystery of Severus Snape's death.

In the Great Hall, all the Hogwarts students were busy eating breakfast, while some were reading the latest edition of the _Daily Prophet_. But for a certain group of students at the Ravenclaw table, breakfast was the last thing on their minds.

"Will you look at that?" A boy by the name of Tristan said coolly, scowling, looking up and over the shoulder of Joseph Bobscandel at a portrait on the wall behind him. Joseph looked behind him at the portrait Tristan was looking at. It was yet another portrait of Severus Snape, only this one was a special portrait used when the Great Hall was being used, allowing Severus to visit the Great Hall and keep an eye on the students.

Throughout the castle, there were several empty portraits set aside for Severus, including the one in the Great Hall, which allowed Severus to wander freely throughout the castle without having to share space in the portraits of others, and for good reason. As he was in life, Severus Snape continued to be the bitter and sarcastic loner everyone remembered him as in death. Snape never much liked sharing space in the portraits of others unless absolutely necessary. Of course, it was clear to Joseph as to what was stirring Tristan's attention, and it wasn't Severus, who was sitting in an armchair and looking out over the Great Hall, brooding.

"It's a woman in Professor Snape's portrait! Since when is there a woman sharing Snape's portrait? No woman in her right mind would have anything to do with bitter, brooding, sneering Professor Severus Snape. Of course, Snape wouldn't have anything to do with women period." said Tristan, who was watching the woman, Verena, in Severus's portrait closely. "And look at her stomach! She's huge!"

"She's pregnant!" said the voice of a young girl sitting next to Tristan, with her face buried in a book titled _Willowyne's Book of Rare and Extinct Magical Plants And Potions_ before snapping the book shut and sitting it down on the table, revealing the face of a light skinned young girl.

"I know that, Daniela," barked Tristan, looking over at her. "But why is she pregnant? I thought those who died pregnant before giving birth would not be pregnant in the portraits and would instead be holding the child that wasn't born in life."

Inside the portrait, Verena was leaning over Severus from behind the armchair that Severus was sitting in, with her hands on the handles of the armchair. She would look over and occasionally look out into the Great Hall at everyone, but then quickly go back to looking down and talking to Snape again.

"Funny thing about that, Tristan," said Joseph suddenly, who kept looking over his shoulder at the portrait of Snape and Verena. "Those who were not born in life will always grow up in death, up to a point of course. That is just how it is in the portraits."

"But you can't be in the portraits and pregnant...can you?" asked Daniela, "I've never seen a pregnant woman in the portraits before! At least, not in an enchanted portrait, it's completely mental. Who is she anyway?"

"You mean you don't know?" said Tristan, looking over at Daniela. Daniela shook her head.

"Her name is Verena Witchazel," said Joseph, who kept looking at the portrait and watching Snape and Verena talking to one another. "She was a student at Hogwarts around the same time as Professor Snape was. I remember my dad telling me stories about her, but he never told me that she died or how she died."

At one point, they watched Severus point over towards the end of the staff table as he talked to Verena; as though he was telling her that he once sat there, a place that was now being occupied by the new Head of Slytherin House, Professor Gregus Groset.

"When did she die?" asked Tristan curiously.

"I don't know," replied Joseph, "But she must have though, otherwise she wouldn't be in the portrait with Professor Snape...and pregnant."

"We can't seem to get past _that one_ can we? I can see why we can't." said Daniela, who kept watching Professor Snape and Verena talk to one another and interact.

At one point, they saw Verena whispering sweet somethings into Snape's ear, which caused him to look at her and give a fleeting smile of affection before getting a fleeting smile of affection from Verena in return. It was obvious to Tristan, Joseph and Daniela that Verena and Professor Snape were more than just friends. It was also obvious that the only people paying attention to Verena and Snape in the portrait and noticing this were Tristan, Joseph and Daniela.

"Phbt! Disgusting." said Tristan, scrunching his nose in disgust.

Joseph on the other hand was biting his tongue and grinning from ear to ear, while Daniela shook her head and covered her eyes. Undeterred by the noise and garbling voices in the Dinning Portrait above, Verena continued to stay next to Snape, though Joseph and his friends could not understand why she kept doing so. Even though this new generation of wizards and witches didn't know Professor Snape personally, they still knew enough about him to realize that Snape would never allow anyone, particularly a woman, to get _that_ close to him. Of course, anyone who could manage to invade Snape's personal space and then get away with it would always get bonus points in Joseph's book.

"She's got to be a nutter," said Tristan, "Otherwise, she wouldn't be _that_ close to Snape or even be in his portrait for that matter."

"I can see why she is getting along so well with Snape." said Joseph, "From what I've heard, they are both Occlumens and they both had less then admirable childhoods. Furthermore, they both lost their families by some horrific means. From what I found out from my dad, Verena lost her family to the hydra Sulphilim..."

"_Sulphilim_?" hissed Daniela, "That hideous, fowl beast?"

"Yeah _that_ beast," said Joseph.

"I've heard stories about Sulphilim," said Tristan, leaning in slightly. "I heard that she was a real nasty. A really large and ugly hydra with claw marks down her back. Sulphilim was the torment of many a wizard village back in my Father's time at Hogwarts. I know that I wouldn't want to meet Sulphilim in a dark corridor any day or any night for that matter."

"You're never going to though," said Joseph.

"How so?" asked Daniela.

"Because Verena killed her." replied Joseph, looking back at Tristan and Daniela again, who was quickly met by stunned glares and silence.

On the wall above Severus Snape's portrait, there was an extremely long portrait, known as the Dinning Portrait, which wrapped completely around the Great Hall, a single long portrait mounted on all four walls. It had an extremely long table, where all those who existed within the portraits would come to sit, dine and talk with each other and could look out over the Great Hall at the students and those of the living world. This was a special day at Hogwarts, as it was a day set aside to honor those headmasters of Hogwarts who had passed on. As such, Severus was sharing the wall with portraits of other past headmasters, with a portrait of Albus Dumbledore hung closest to the staff table.

"Tell me something, Joseph," said Tristan, "Why does Severus Snape always have to wear that grim face all the time? Doesn't he ever smile?"

"Are you kidding me? Snape almost never smiles, and when he does, it's always so..._wickedly_." said Daniela, "Professor Snape is a cold, lonely and miserable creature who never knew the meaning of happiness or love. Furthermore, he's a Death Eater who once worked for You-Know-Who. As far as I'm concerned, he is a man that's to be best avoided if you know what's good for you!"

"I wouldn't know about that, Daniela," said Joseph, "But if you knew him better and about more of his past like I do, you wouldn't be saying that. He's an Occlumens, Daniela. They don't express their feelings in the same way that most others do. When they express any strong feelings at all, they are not about to show them for all the world to see. But just because he doesn't usually show his feelings, doesn't mean they aren't there...remember that."

"Well, if he does have any real feelings behind that bitter, brooding face of his, I'd like to see them," said Tristan, "I'm even beginning to doubt if he's even..."

"If he's even what, Tristan?" asked Daniela.

Wanting not to be overheard, Tristan leaned in further and whispered, "..._human_..."

Joseph and Daniela looked at one another puzzlingly, unsure of what to say next. After a moment, another voice rang out over the Great Hall from the staff table.

"Silence! Silence everyone! I have something that I wish to say!"

Soon, everyone in the Great Hall and those in the portraits had their attention fixed on a tall older gentleman with a long beard and long hair, who stood up from the staff table and called out over the Great Hall. He was wearing long and flowing iridescent purple robes and wearing a tall, pointed iridescent purple hat. This was Professor Vadamus Titch, the new headmaster of Hogwarts.

Vadamus Titch was once a teacher of _The Dragons Gail Wizarding School of Magic_, which was a much smaller Wizarding School that was located somewhere in Yorkshire. The main specialties of that school were to teach young wizards and witches metal-charming, herbology and potion making, as well as teach them in the art of breeding, keeping and taming dragons. It was a school dedicated to those wizards and witches that were destined to become dragon riders or metal charmers as a lifelong occupation.

Titch was half the age that Dumbledore was, just as his beard and hair were half as long. Like Dumbledore, Professor Vadamus Titch always had an aura of calmness and composure around him, rarely displaying intense emotions of anger or fear unless need be. Also like Dumbledore, Titch was tall and thin, with long fingers and fair skin. Along with a benign nature, he was neither proud nor vain. But unlike Dumbledore, Titch's hair had once been black, only now his hair and beard were gray like Dumbledore's, but tinged with black streaks. Titch, unlike Dumbledore, was happily married and with children of his own. Titch also didn't wear spectacles and had dark hazel-green eyes, also unlike Dumbledore. Titch had a pair of ponytails woven in his beard, elaborately decorated with beads made of bone, tiny feathers and bits of wood and tiny gemstones. He also had a pair of woven ponytails embedded in his hair, one for each side framing his face, which were decorated in the same manner as the ponytails in his beard were.

Unlike Dumbledore's wand, which was made of Elder and with a Threstral Hair core, Titch's wand was made of Vine and with a Dragon Heartstring core. Titch's wand was decorated with an elaborate vine pattern, which ran up the entire length of his wand, ending just below its tip. Despite his youth when compared to Dumbledore however, Titch was still the wisest wizard present in the room, apart from Snape and Dumbledore himself.

"As some of you may already realize, we are now nearing the end of another school year here at Hogwarts. It should be noted to those of you who are graduating this year that this is now your final year at this most esteemed and prestigious school. But as you move on and find your place in the Wizarding world, you must always find time in the coming years to look back and remember what you have left behind. This year, the bonds that you have made throughout these past seven years will be more important than ever. Hopefully in the coming years that are laid out ahead of you, you will continue to hold and maintain the bonds that you have forged between your friends and family and continue on in this life together to become important and respectable members of wizard society..."

"Listening to him talk, you'd think that it was _his_ last year at Hogwarts," whispered Tristan with a giggle, leaning in towards Joseph briefly and then leaning back. "I wonder who are new headmaster is."

"Phbt! Enough out of you Tristan," whispered Joseph as he continued to watch Titch make his speech.

"I think it's a wonderful and quite stirring speech, Tristan. That will be quite enough out of you!" Daniela scoffed as she narrowed her eyes at Tristan and Tristan scoffed back, grinning mischievously.

Titch continued, "Now, I want you all to be ready for the coming graduation ceremony which will occur at the end of this month. Invite whatever friends, family and pets you wish to witness your graduation and remember that your presence here at Hogwarts will always be greatly missed, even after everything else has been lost and forgotten in the pages of time...thank you."

And with that, Titch sat down as a roar of cheers, whistles and clapping rose up from the student tables. Even Severus and Verena looked on and clapped as Titch was patted on the back by Hagrid and another teacher who was sitting next to him at the staff table. After breakfast, everyone continued onto their classes and to the rest of the day.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 5...**


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5: WHEN SEVERUS MET VERENA (PART 2)

**INT. THE SYTHERIN QUIDDITCH ROOM – AFTERNOON (APR. 27TH, 1972)**

After a half hour with Verena in the school library, Severus made his way to the rooms where the Slytherin Quidditch team had gathered and were preparing for the coming events. A voice carried from the far end of the room where the Slytherin Quidditch team was gathered as Severus entered it. The voice was emanating from Augustus Hovelshot, the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team.

"Hey Severus," said Augustus, "I heard that you were sitting with Verena Witchazel earlier. You're lucky if you have gained favor with her. Lucius has been trying to do for ages what you only did in a matter of minutes. I can't say I'm not jealous."

It didn't take Severus long to realize that Lucius had told everyone on the Slytherin team that he had been sitting with the mysterious Verena Witchazel. However, Severus still could not understand why so many Slytherin students were so interested in Verena. Being in a House which normally shunned away any students from House Slytherin, it seems that Verena must have done something so utterly remarkable that it had impressed most of the Slytherin students, thus labeling her as being a friend to them rather than a foe. Severus however, knew that he would have to get to the bottom of the mystery that was Verena Witchazel and more sooner than later.

Saying nothing, Severus found his way to a small broom cupboard, where his broom and other necessities for Quidditch are waiting for him. Severus's place on the Quidditch team was as the Slytherin team Seeker, the most important place on the Slytherin team. As the Seeker, his job was to seek out and catch the smallest ball used in the sport, the Golden Snitch.

Having already flown onto the field, Trevor Bobscandel and the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team dressed in their long, flowing Quidditch robes of solid blue were mounted upon their brooms and busy showing off their flying skills to the onlookers who sat in the seats.

Trevor's place on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team is that of a Beater, someone who used a thick, wooden club to bat away the bewitched Bludgers as they flew through the air on their own accord.

Bludgers were thick iron balls, ten inches in diameter, which were used to knock out the members of the opposing team. The job of a Beater was to protect their team mates by knocking away the Bludgers and sending them towards the members of the other team.

From atop one of the spectator towers, a loud voice of a Ravenclaw student rang out over the loud speaker and over the Quidditch pitch below.

His greeting was short and to the point, "Welcome to Quidditch!"

This was followed by the usual fanfare of fireworks, which shot up into the air and burst out over the Quidditch pitch. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered as the fireworks ceased and the Slytherin team flew through the large doors and out over the pitch. The Quidditch pitch was flanked by high walls which wrapped around the entire pitch from underneath the towers which jetted up above them. Hovering high above the pitch mounted on her broom, Verena looked down at the players that were flying below her, dressed in her long and flowing Ravenclaw Quidditch robes.

This was Verena's first game as the Seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team and was making the most of it by being the first to get a glimpse of the Slytherin Team Seeker. After all the other Slytherin Quidditch team members leave, Severus mounted his broom and flew out onto the Quidditch pitch.

Looking around calmly, Verena's eyes soon caught a glimpse of Severus, adorned in his long, flowing solid green Slytherin Quidditch robes. Realizing that it was Severus who was the Seeker for House Slytherin, she narrowed her eyes and sneered before swooping down on her broom to level up with him. Severus, suddenly noticing Verena hovering in front of him, sneered and narrowed his eyes.

"So," said Verena curtly, "Severus Snape is the Slytherin House Seeker?"

"What _is it_ with you?" hissed Severus, who was becoming more and more frustrated by the fact that he couldn't figure Verena out and why she was so liked by those of House Slytherin. "And why would you want to know?"

"Because I want to! You are the Slytherin Seeker, Severus, _my_ target in this game! Do you really think you can take me on?" snarled Verena, "I am two years older than you are and much more experienced on a broom then you!"

"Why you…!" snapped Severus, "How dare you say that you're better than I am? I can beat you with one hand tied behind my back!"

While Verena and Severus continued to talk back and forth to one another, the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch Team were busy doing a brief warm-up by showing off some tricks with their brooms. Among them, one of the Slytherin students does a hand stand on his broom in mid-flight, while another Slytherin student flew upwards and then spiraled down into a free-fall.

"I will beat you, Verena!" hissed Snape once more. "I've caught the Golden Snitch before and I will do it again!"

"Oh please, Don't humor me!" said Verena, "I've seen how you fly on that broom of yours! I've seen old hags fly better on a broom stick then you do! Give it up! I'm going to catch the Golden Snitch before you! You will never escape me, Severus Snape! Or should I call you _Neverus Cape_?"

A burst of laughter rang out from some of the Ravenclaw team members who were in ear range of the conversation.

"Good one Veri! Neverus Cape, Never escape! Ha-ha!" said a Ravenclaw team mate, laughing.

"Ha-ha, you show him, Veri!" said another Ravenclaw team mate, laughing.

Severus bared his teeth and hissed angrily. Verena was clearly not as friendly on the Quidditch pitch as she was away from it. It was as though she was living up to the usual bantering Ravenclaw antics of badgering the members of the opposing Quidditch Team. Though somehow, Severus felt that she did not really mean it and was simply showing off to her fellow teammates.

A whistle rang out over the Quidditch pitch, signaling to everyone flying above to get into their assigned positions above the center of the pitch.

Below them, a man in white and brown robes and with a sliver whistle around his neck walked out to the center of the Quidditch pitch, where a large wooden trunk was jostling and moving about, as though something inside of it was desperate to get out. The man stood next to the trunk and looked up at the player hovering above him.

"Now, I want you all to play a nice, clean game!" said the man, "You know the rules! There will be no foul language and no foul actions while this game is taking place. I will be watching you all from the sidelines to make sure that you all play fair and by the rules. Now, prepare yourselves!"

As the man pulled out his wand, the two teams give final serious looks at each other before he pointed his wand toward the trunk and blew his whistle once more, shooting a beam of blue light from the tip of his wand toward the hinge lock on the trunk. The lid on the trunk violently blew open, releasing a large ball which shot into the air, followed closely by two Bludgers.

The voice on the loud speaker rang out once more, running into a play by play of the events that were soon to follow: "The Quaffle is released, followed by the two Bludgers – the Quaffle snatched up by Joseph Teggery of Team Slytherin, flying towards the Ravenclaw goalpost – the Golden Snitch is released, heading towards the Seekers..."

In a flash, Severus was off on his broom, flying after the Golden Snitch, followed closely by Verena on her broom.

The play by play continued: "Trevor Bobscandel and Marie Windbellows of Ravenclaw flank Teggery to the Ravenclaw goalpost – Teggery shoots – ooouuu, and the Quaffle is knocked away by the broom of Adrian Whippoorwill of Ravenclaw..."

The crowd roared with excitement. Adrian Whippoorwill, a boy with light skin and brown hair, smirked mischievously, while getting a barring of teeth and a scowl from Joseph Teggery, a boy with dark skin, in return.

The play by play continued once more: "Trevor Bobscandel takes possession the Quaffle and flies towards the Slytherin goalpost – oouuu, and Trevor ducks as a Bludger almost hits him – He is flanked by Lucius Malfoy and Petunia Prestrill of Slytherin – Lucius slams hard into the side of Trevor – oouuu, an Trevor loses his grip on the Quaffle – Lucius takes possession of the Quaffle, almost crashing into Marie Windbellows – Lucius shoots –Lucius scores! – ten points for Slytherin…"

Marie Windbellows of House Ravenclaw was a girl with light skin and bedraggled brown hair.

As Marie ducked, she began to shriek, "Lucius! Fiend!" - then shook her fist at him.

Laughter roared up from the Slytherin tower, where other Slytherin folk are sitting and watching, amused by the sight. Looking to see where Lucius had gone, Trevor failed to realize that he was flying towards the side of one of the spectator towers. In an instant, Trevor lost control of his broom, crashing into the tower with a mighty thud. A barrage of laughter from some of the Slytherin Team burst through the loud roar of the crowd as Trevor fell to the ground and slid to a stop on his back.

Noticing that Trevor had fallen, Verena looked down at Trevor before looking up again, glaring and sneering at the Slytherin team members who were laughing. Then the Slytherin team members who were laughing at Trevor suddenly shrieked as Verena quickly aimed herself and her broom towards them and flew with great speed past them, only inches away from them as though she was purposely trying to hit them and stop them from laughing.

"Arrgh!" cried the Slytherin students that Verena passed.

Verena flew back around to briefly look down at Trevor again and yelled, "Get up Trevor, Dunderhead!" as a Bludger zoomed over Verena's head, causing her to duck. Verena lifted her head up again, "Get back into the game!"

The play by play continued: "The Quaffle is snatched up by June Dillaweed of Ravenclaw – Slytherin is trying hard not to let her score – oouuu, and a hard slam into June by Lucius Malfoy – June shoots – Edwin Hovelshot misses the save – she scores! – ten points for Ravenclaw!"

"Trevor, get on your feet!" yelled Verena once more.

Trevor quickly got back onto his feet, grabbing up his broom and quickly flying away on it again, flying after the Quaffle.

The play by play continued as the crowd grew louder: "The Quaffle is once again in the possession of Ravenclaw by Alana Dragonspyre – Alana aims towards the Slytherin goalpost, flanked by Lucius and Petunia – Alana shoots – the Quaffle is knocked away by Edwin – another save for Slytherin – Marie Windbellows snatches up the Quaffle once more – she shoots – she scores! Another ten points for Ravenclaw!"

As a way to get revenge off of Lucius for causing him to fall off his broom, Trevor zeroed in on a Bludger and, using his club, knocked it towards Lucius, causing Lucius to duck. Lucius looked up at Trevor angrily and shook his fist at him. Trevor grinned vindictively as some of the Ravenclaw team laughed.

Alana Dragonspyre, of Team Ravenclaw, a girl with light skin and long black hair, yelled over at Verena, "Verena, the Golden Snitch! Look!"

Verena swiftly looked up at the empty space in front of her. Unknowingly, the Golden Snitch was hovering in front of her, taunting her to grab it. The Golden Snitch quickly zipped off as Verena tried to grab it. Verena flew off after it as Severus suddenly appeared out of nowhere, nearly running into her.

"Arrgh!" Verena shrieked.

"That is for Team Slytherin!" said Severus confidently, with a grin of mischief, having noticed what Verena had done to cause a shriek among his fellow Slytherin team mates. The crowd was cheering even louder now as the two Seekers were now flanking one another and chasing the Golden Snitch.

The play by play continued once more: "The two Seekers are neck and neck – ohhh, and Verena Witchazel of Team Ravenclaw gives a body blow into the side of Severus Snape of Team Slytherin – Severus slams back in return – Verena slams into Snape once more – The two Seekers are gaining ground on the Golden Snitch – it's going to be close! – closer...closer..."

In an instant, the two Seekers reached out for the Golden Snitch, both losing control of their brooms and falling to the ground below. Verena slid to a stop on her stomach, while Severus came to a stop on his back.

A loud gasp rose from the crowd as the whistle was blown, stopping the game. A sudden silence fell over the pitch, with both teams unsure as to which Seeker has caught the Golden Snitch, or if either Seeker was conscious.

The members of both teams landed on the ground and began to from a circle around the two still bodies which were sprawling upon the ground, looking down at them. The man in the white and brown robes ran out into the pitch towards Severus and Verena, who continued to remain silent and still.

"Everyone make a space! Out of the way, let me through!" yelled the man as he broke through the crowd of students surrounding Severus and Verena. He kneeled down and began to look over Severus and Verena, "Are you two alright? Is anybody hurt?"

For one tense moment, there was a heavy silence, as both Seekers lie on the ground next to one another. Slowly, one of the Seekers raised their arm above their head and slowly opened their palm, revealing the Golden Snitch.

The man in white and brown robes quickly turned and looked up towards the towers, flailing his arms at the crowd and blowing his whistle once more. He was signaling that all was well and that one of the Seekers had caught the Golden Snitch. The crowd instantly roared into a loud cheer of joy as the circle of bodies surrounding the two Seekers parted, revealing Severus Snape, sitting up and holding the Golden Snitch that was hovering only a couple inches above the palm of his left hand.

The man blew the whistle once more as the play by play concluded: "Severus Snape has caught the Snitch! Severus Snape gains one hundred and fifty points for catching the Snitch..."

"Slytherin wins!" yells the man, as the Slytherin Team began to cheer Severus's name.

"Hurray for Severus Snape! Hurray for Team Slytherin!" yelled the Slytherin team mates.

Verena slowly sat herself up and looked up at Severus, putting her legs underneath her and rubbing the back of her neck. Severus was helped onto his feet by Lucius Malfoy before Severus began to hold the Golden Snitch above his head once more, with the crowd chanting Severus's name. Verena narrowed her eyes and sneered at Severus for a moment before her narrowed eyes turned into a glare of fondness and her sneer turned into a shrewd smirk.

"Well done, Severus Snape, well done." Verena muttered under her breath, looking at Severus's face lit up as Severus looked up at the crowd and began to grin, waving the Golden Snitch over his head. The praises continued long into the evening hours and long after the game had ended.

**EXT. HOGWARTS SCHOOL GROUNDS - LATE AFTERNOON (APR. 22ND, 1976)**

It was now early spring, 4 years later, and all was starting to come back to life after the long and cold winter. Sitting underneath a lone magnolia tree atop a small hill, Severus was busy scribbling notes in his potions book with a long, narrow pointed quill pen while petals from the magnolia flowers above him fell all around him. It was nearing late April, which had long been known to the Wizarding world as a time of renewal and of new life. However, this was to be Verena's last year at Hogwarts, when she would be graduating with her class and thus wanted to spend as much time with Severus as possible, the one person who had been her only true best friend ever since meeting him so long ago.

As Severus quietly glanced through his tattered potions book, he began to notice a rustling sound above his head. Severus looked up and noticed a familiar face looking down at him. It was Verena, who had been up in the tree and looking down at Severus.

"Catch!" said Verena, in an unusually cheerful, but melancholy tainted manner, as a small rock was tossed down and was instantly grabbed from the air by Severus.

"Excellent!" said Verena, with a gentle smile, "You still have the reflexes of a proper Quidditch Seeker."

Mildly irritated that he had been disturbed while he was studying his potions book, Severus sneered and narrowed his eyes briefly.

"What do you want?" said Severus breathlessly, tossing the small rock away from him and looking back down at his potions book, "I am busy studying for my end-of-the-week potions exam!"

"Is that what you are doing?" said Verena with fleeting mischief in her voice. "If I didn't know better, I would have sworn that you were busy eyeing young Lily Evans standing by that large rock over there."

Severus's pallid face began to blush aflame with embarrassment. He was indeed looking over at Lily Evans, who was standing next to a large boulder along with several other Gryffindor students, including one James Potter.

Though Severus was happy in his own way that he was seeing Lily Evans from afar, he was not at all pleased to see James Potter so close to her and if given the least fleeting chance to, Severus would have taken out his wand and cursed James Potter. But he wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.

"Oh yes, Severus Snape is looking at Lily Evans because Severus Snape likes Lily Evans…no, _loves_ Lily Evans," said Verena coolly, "But Lily Evans is no longer talking to Severus is she? Called her a Mudblood did you?"

Severus's face went from blushing with embarrassment to completely flaring with anger, "How do you know about that?" snapped Severus, "How dare you speak that word in front of me!"

The word _Mudblood_, was an insulting and derogatory slang used to describe those wizards and witches who were of mixed Magical and Muggle blood. The word _Muggle_ was the wizard word used to describe folk who are without magical powers and live in the normal, non-magical world.

As the story goes, Severus, in a flare of agitation and anger while the Marauders were tormenting him one day, caused him to accidentally call Lily Evans a Mudblood, even though it was true that she was of mixed Magical and Muggle blood. Now the only girl that he thought he had any chance of falling in love with was no longer speaking to him and tried as he did, he still had yet to gain any forgiveness from her.

"I have eyes, Severus!" said Verena with a sneer. "I saw the whole thing. You had a fight with Lily Evans when you called her a Mudblood. She ran off and then you ran after her. And how you tried to apologize, oh yes, how you begged for her to accept your apology. But no, she continues to reject your apology. But that is not the only reason why she has shunned away from you isn't it?"

"Stop it!" snapped Severus, who was getting more and more agitated by the second.

"It is the painful truth, Severus," said Verena coolly, "Severus, the boy whose love of the Dark Arts is shunned by the one he loves."

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" snapped Severus ever more loudly as the anger within him began to boil over.

"Mudblood!" hissed Verena, as Severus was not stopping her from saying it. "I'll say it again, Mudblood!"

It was clear to Severus that Verena, for some terribly strange reason yet to be understood, was trying to cause a fight between her and him. In his anger, Severus quickly pulled out his wand and casts a few curses towards Verena, but Verena quickly deflected them away from her with her wand as she jumped from tree branch to tree branch above him, knocking more petals down onto Severus's head. Magnolia petals were flying everywhere as they fought.

At the last moment, Verena casts a spell of her own towards Severus, "_Accio _rope!"

Verena quickly conjured up a finely woven rope out of thin air and sent it charging towards Severus with her wand. The enchanted rope quickly wrapped tightly around Severus's body and legs, causing him to drop his wand and his potions book. Severus shrieked in frustration, wiggling and sprawling on the ground like some wriggling worm on a hook.

"Enough!" snapped Verena loudly, looking down from the branches of the tree for a brief moment before she quickly climbed down the side of the tree to the ground below. Verena quickly grabbed up Severus's wand and stuffed it into her waist band as she walked up to Severus and looked down at him dangerously.

"Let us play a game," said Verena coldly and mischievously, "It is called '_Teaching Severus Snape how to control his emotions_'."

"Untie me! Untie me this instant!" shrieked Severus angrily, who was trying to break free of his bonds.

"You are an Occlumens, Severus, a boy with the talent to hide his deepest and darkest thoughts and emotions behind the wall of bitterness and grim expressions," said Verena contemptuously, "And you would be happy to know that I also have that most distinctive of powers and use it to better my advantage. But Severus has yet to truly master the power. You are a good Occlumens Severus, but not quite good enough."

"Let me go! Let me go or I will curse you!" hissed Severus, who snapped at Verena, so loudly in fact that Lily Evans herself was soon to notice what was going on from afar. James Potter on the other hand, was looking on and laughing at the sight of Severus tied up and wriggling on the ground. James Potter was certainly amused to no end.

"With _what_?" Verena said calmly and coolly, "You'd need your wand to do that and unfortunately, you don't have your wand at the moment."

However, there conversation was quickly cut short by the voice of one of the teachers, "What is going on?"

Verena turned to look behind her, only to see that it was the Potions teacher, Professor Horace Slughorn, glaring down at the scene that was unfolding before him. Professor Slughorn was wearing long and flowing gray-green robes and a short, gray-green pointed hat, looking very much like a proper and respectable wizard of high standing.

Horace was also the Head of Slytherin House at the time and was one of the very few wizards who came from House Slytherin that was actually nice and good-natured to everyone, no matter which House they were from. However, he had a well-established root of mischief and cunningness running through his veins, like all who are of Slytherin House did and had a talent for producing mildly grim humor whenever the urge hit him. He was also highly experienced in the art of potion making as well as being a master duelist, may it be with a wand or with a sword.

It appeared that Slughorn had been wandering about the school grounds and was watching over the students who were studying quietly nearby. Having been alerted to what was happening by Lily Evans; Professor Slughorn strutted over to investigate.

"Sorry, Professor," said Verena softly, "Me and Severus were just playing a game."

"No, we're not! She is tormenting me! Tell her to untie me!" protested Snape, who was still struggling to free himself from his bonds.

But Slughorn didn't seem too keen on releasing Severus from his bonds right away and gave a smile as though he was amused, crossing his arms.

"Oh, I see," laughed Horace, smiling down at Severus before looking back at Verena again. "Trying to teach a fellow student how to use their Occlumency powers properly again are you? You should have told me that Occlumency Practice was in session, I would have joined you. But for now, Verena, I want you to release him. Young Severus Snape here gets plenty of attention from the Marauders without you putting your ten pence in..."

Verena raised an eyebrow briefly before going back to looking bitter and blank-faced again, releasing Severus from his bonds with her wand as she spoke, "You know about that, Professor Slughorn?"

"All the teachers here at Hogwarts do," Horace said, "It's just that Severus Snape never comes to any of them to report it. Oh, he'll tell us when the Marauders do something wrong or against the rules, but he won't tell us when they tease and torment him."

Severus protested once more as Professor Slughorn walked up closer to Severus and looked down at him, "But sir, it's just that...the Marauders...they would."

"Do _what_, Severus?" said Horace in a mildly harsh voice, "Hurt you more if they found out that you were ratting on them for tormenting you? You really should grow a backbone, my dear boy.

"Young Verena here can help you. She's the exception among Ravenclaw students. If anyone can teach you how to stand up against James Potter and the Marauders, it's her, as long as you don't physically hurt one another in the process. Now if you two are quite done picking on one another, I suggest you both part ways and get back to your studies. Run along now, the pair of you..."

"Yes, sir...I'm going, sir." said Verena as she pulled out Severus's wand from her waist band and handed it back to Severus. But Severus was still holding a grudge, narrowing his eyes at Verena as he snatched back his wand from her. Verena reacted by raising her hands up in surrender and looking on mischievously.

Disgruntled, Severus paused briefly and closed his eyes a moment, then opened them again, narrowing his eyes and scowling, "Fine," said Severus curtly, "I'm going to...back to my Common Rooms! At least there I can study in peace!"

"Good lad! Now off you go." smiled Horace as he waited and watched to make sure that Severus and Verena didn't start into a fight again. After they left his sight, Horace walked off with his arms behind his back, looking across the expanse of grassy green fields once more.

**CONTINUED…CHAPTER 6…**


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6: THE JOURNEY TO HOGWARTS (PART 1)

**EXT. KING'S CROSS STATION – MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 2118) **

As the start of a new year at Hogwarts was fast approaching, a new generation of budding wizards and witches was coming to King's Cross Station for the very first time, including Albus's sister Lily and Albus's cousin Hugo. Once at King's Cross station, Harry and the rest of the parents helped unload the luggage that was to go with Albus and the rest of the children to Hogwarts. They quickly placed the luggage into luggage carts, looking around at everything that was in King's Cross Station, which, like always, was bustling with activity.

Albus quickly grabbed up Willowbree from the back seat of Ron's SUV and placed her in an animal cage so that she would be safe and wouldn't run off somewhere. Lily quickly grabbed the cage that her pet owl Featherbeak was in and lashed it onto the rest of her luggage, while James grabbed up his pet ferret Gisbourne and placed him in an animal cage, tying it to his own luggage cart. Gisbourne had came from the same litter of ferrets that Albus's dead pet ferret Belenus had come from and was named after Guy of Gisbourne from the fairy tale of _Robin Hood_. With their luggage now unloaded from the SUV, they started their way through the train station, going towards Platform Nine and Three Quarters, which was hidden from the eyes of Muggles.

The entrance to Nine and Three Quarters was made to look like one of the brick pillars of the train station, which would transport students and other magical folk alike to the platform where the Hogwarts Express would be waiting for them. Waiting at the pillar with the rest of the students that were going to Hogwarts this year, was Albus's grandparents Molly and Arthur Weasley, along with several other cousins of Albus who were going to Hogwarts.

"Grandma Molly!" cried Lily as she ran up to her grandmother, wrapping her arms around Molly's waist.

"Hello, my dear," said Molly, hugging Lily in return. Like most of those who were of the Weasley family, Molly had light skin and red, fiery hair. Molly wore a tan and purple tweed outfit and a purple tweed hat, making her look like a typical grandmother. By this time however, Molly and Arthur now had over fifteen grandchildren, all of which coming from their children, other than from their son Fred, who had died in the Battle of Hogwarts long ago.

While Lily was busy talking to her grandmother, Albus and James pushed their luggage carts up towards where they were standing, while Harry pushed Lily's luggage cart up and stopped. Ron and Hermione were following close behind, with Rose and Hugo pushing their luggage carts in toe.

Molly looked over at Albus and smiled, "Ready for your second year at Hogwarts, Albus dear?"

This was now the third time that Albus had been asked that question, which was starting to sound ominously like a skipped record. And like in the case of his father Harry and his Uncle Ron earlier, Albus replied, "I can't wait."

Unbeknownst to Albus and those with him however, the man in the black hooded cloak, which had talked to Albus in Diagon Alley earlier, was now standing and staring from afar at what was going on. Arthur Weasley soon called to everyone that was waiting at the pillar to get in a group in front of it. While Albus was bringing his luggage cart into the line, Albus noticed that his parents had pulled Ron, Hermione, Molly and Arthur over to a place where they wouldn't be overheard by Albus or the other children. After a moment or two, a stunned look fell upon the faces of everyone in the circle as they looked at one another and then back at Harry. It was as if Harry had just told them something that was utterly unbelievable and preposterous, but Harry was far from acting jokingly about it.

"I was wondering when father was going to tell them about that." said James, walking up behind Albus and looking on.

"About what, James?" said Albus, looking briefly at James and then back at his parents.

"About the rumor that Severus Snape might still be alive. Didn't you read the newspaper this morning?"

"I don't delight in reading the Daily Prophet like you do, James. And what do you mean there is a rumor that Severus Snape might still alive? Severus Snape is dead. Our dad watched Severus die in the Boathouse a long time ago."

"I know that, but there have been rumors coming from the North of England for the past few months, claiming that someone spotted Severus Snape...with a woman."

"But that's just mad, that is," said Hugo, butting in. "No woman in her right mind would want to be with brooding, sneering Severus Snape. And besides, Severus Snape is dead."

"I heard about those rumors to, Hugo," said Rose, butting in after, "But I also heard a great deal more. I heard that Severus Snape has been living in hiding ever since his supposed death and that he's married and with children."

"Now I know you're mental, Rose," scoffed Hugo, "If you have forgotten, Severus Snape hates children. And who would want _him_ as a father? I'd be afraid of stepping out of line or talking out of turn. I'd probably go mad. In truth, I don't think Severus Snape was even capable of loving someone, let alone wanting and loving children."

"And what would you know about that, Hugo? Do you not remember what Uncle Harry told us about Professor Snape?" said Rose as Hugo scoffed once more and walked off.

Rose then looked back at Albus and continued, "And there's something else I have heard. I heard that Snape's wife is coming to Hogwarts and that she is going to be teaching Magical Archery to us."

"But that's just mental, Rose," said James, "If she's Snape's wife, why would she want to acknowledge herself?"

"She's the only known witch in the Wizarding world who knows about Magical Archery. And furthermore, it is suspected that she is a master of an ancient magic that has long since vanished, the ALPs."

"The Ancient Lost Practices? No way!" said James, "No wizard or witch these days is fully realized in the ALPs. That's impossible…and besides, such a magic is forbidden these days. And if anyone is trained in the ALPs, they can't tell anyone for fear that they might get into trouble. The ALPs are not something that you should trifle with I tell you!"

"Alright kids, it's time to line up in a row...come along now." yelled Arthur as he walked towards the pillar and stood. Then, one by one, Albus's cousins pushed their luggage carts towards the pillar. In an instant, one by one they vanished into the pillar in a sparkling haze of light. Soon, it was James's turn, who went charging towards the pillar like a valiant knight on a horse, yelling out something that a knight would say when charging towards an opponent. James always had a flare for the dramatic, which amused everyone who was watching to no end.

Before Albus went through the pillar, Harry and Ginny kneeled down to give Albus and hug and a hiss on the forehead, staring some final words with one another before it was Albus's turn to go through the pillar. Albus than turned and quickly ran towards the pillar, going through the pillar with his luggage cart in toe.

Once through the pillar, he soon found himself on a narrow platform which was bustling with the activity of witches, wizards and magical folk alike. Quickly, his eyes fell upon the sight of the Hogwarts Express, a large and majestic 460 steam-driven locomotive that was painted in a vibrant blood red color. The train itself, like the Minstry carts, The Knight Bus and the Wizarding Wireless Network, ran exclusively on magic.

It also burrowed its form and its intended function from real steam trains, but not the technology, appearing as though it ran on steam. The passenger carriages it pulled behind it held compartments that were set off a corridor and each of them were lettered, allowing each compartment to function as a self-contained stage within the larger train. Unlike most of the students, the Prefects of the school would ride in a separate carriage near the front of the train, being treated like students of privilege.

"Hey, look everyone. It's Harry Potter's son. Maybe we should curtsey or something." said a familiar voice near the entrance to the platform.

"Shut up, Scorpius, or I'll curse you again like last time!" snapped Albus, looking over at Scorpius Malfoy, who was standing along with his brother Lucifer and his sister Ursula, who were fraternal twins born only minutes apart. They, along with Scorpius, were the children of Draco Malfoy and Astoria Malfoy née Greengrass and like Albus's sister Lily, Ursula and Lucifer were going to Hogwarts for their first year. Scorpius was also a rival and bully to Albus, and like most of those of the Malfoy family, he had light skin and blond hair.

Scorpius walked up to Albus and got into his face, "I'd like to see you try, Potter. But you can't though, can you? To many people around here to tell your hero worshiped father on you. I bet you and your father delight in seeing others groveling at your feet and ordering them around."

"If that's what you think, Scorpius, then you're sadly mistaken. If anyone delights in groveling and ordering people around, it's you and your pathetic excuse for a wizard grandfather Lucius."

Scorpius got even further into Albus's face and hissed, "Is that a threat, Potter?"

"It might be," hissed Albus in return, glaring at Scorpius angrily and with utter contempt.

Soon, Albus's brother James stepped in and spoke, "Alright you two, break it up. Save it for the Quidditch pitch!"

Scorpius looked up at James and spoke once more as he walked off with Lucifer and Ursula, giving one more cold glance at Albus as he left, "Yes…lets!"

Albus gave an equally cold glance in return. James soon pulled Albus towards the other end of the platform. At the far end of the platform, Rose, Hugo and Lily were waiting for James and Albus, unaware that they were being watched by a pair of light skinned and mysterious looking children with black hair, watching Albus and the group with cold and mischievous eyes. Unbeknownst to the group however, these two were no ordinary students that were on their way to Hogwarts, but Cyrus and Evangeline Snape, Severus and Verena's twin children. They were both now old enough to go to school for their first year, having turned 11 years old during the summer.

And like Verena and Severus had suspected a long time ago, Cyrus had indeed inherited his father's cold black eyes, but also his father's shoulder-length black hair, which framed his face in curtains. Evangeline however, had inherited her mother's icy dark blue eyes but her father's black hair, which was long like her mother's and framed her face in curtains. Cyrus was also slowly developing his father's nose, a trait that was almost always passed down the Snape family through the men of the family. And just like their parents, both Cyrus and Evangeline were experienced Occlumens, showing their cold, bitter and sarcastic demeanors upon their faces.

As James helped load the luggage of everyone who was with him, Cyrus and Evangeline suddenly looked over and noticed that the man in the black hooded cloak was watching them. Upon seeing Cyrus and Evangeline, the man in the black hooded cloak bowed his head in acknowledgment and the twins bowed their heads in return. Another child soon appeared, only this child had dark, shoulder-length amber colored hair which framed his face in curtains and also had cold black eyes.

And just like the twins, he to was an experienced Occlumens and had the same cold, bitter and sarcastic demeanor. This boy's name was Darius Eldred-Alistair Snape, Severus's and Verena's youngest child. Darius was named after Darius Alexander-Teodors Dame Wolven, a favored older cousin of Verena's that had a Greek mother. Darius was only 9 years old and going on 10 in October, thus he was not due to go to Hogwarts until next year. This of course secretly bothered Darius, as he wanted to go to school with Cyrus and Evangeline. But due to his age, it was not possible. Like their parents, both Cyrus and Evangeline wore a woven braid in their hair, but they weren't white in color like their parent's woven braids were. Darius on the other hand, didn't wear a woven braid in his hair.

Darius walked over to Cyrus and Evangeline and hissed angrily, "This is embarrassing! My brother and sister going to Hogwarts School under the last name of _Van Hartigan_? We are not our parent's ancestors, we are Snapes! And it isn't like we couldn't be recognized as our father's children. We stick out like a sore thumb!"

"Mind your emotions, Darius, my brother. We are Occlumens," said Cyrus softly, his grim face and piercing black eyes looking over at Darius, "And besides, we have a Perception Spell cast over us. No one will ever notice."

"That's what you think, Cyrus," said Evangeline coolly, "What about Albus Potter? His perception hasn't been altered by the spell."

"Because Father doesn't want it to be. He wants Albus to recognize us as our Father's children, though heaven knows why."

Looking over at Albus, Darius paused a moment before speaking once more, "Could it be that Father wants Albus to recognize us as our Father's children so that he can tell Harry Potter that he is alive? Or is it because of the task that our parents want Albus and his friends to do?"

"I don't know, Darius," said Cyrus coolly, sounding mildly puzzled, "All I do know is that Father told us to watch over Albus and to give Albus what our Father wants him to have."

"Oh, _that_," said Evangeline, "Well, we better do it quickly then, when we have the chance."

"Yes, let's. Mother is probably waiting for us on the train by now, and Father should be coming along shortly. Come on, let's get on the train." said Cyrus, and with that, the trio crept along the length of the train and climbed onboard, keeping their eyes on Albus. The man in the black hooded cloak soon followed them on the train soon after.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, FIRST FLOOR CORRIDOR – LATE EVENING (MAY. 26TH, 2007) **

Of course, Joseph Bobscandel knew exactly what he was going to be doing as he quietly stepped out through the door to the Ravenclaw Common Rooms and out into the corridor beyond it. He was on his way to Hagrid's Hut, having gotten word from Hagrid earlier that he had found an egg of '_mysterious origin_'. In truth however, this was just the type of excuse for Joseph to break the school rules and go visit Hagrid at his hut to see if he could identify the type of egg that Hagrid had found.

Though Joseph wasn't the only student in Hogwarts who was actively studying the various types of eggs of magical creatures, Joseph was the only student, apart from Tristan and Daniela, who was willing to come to Hagrid's Hut at the risk of being caught by Hadramus Fletcher, the night hall-walker. Hadramus's job was simple: To maintain the upkeep of the castle itself. Joseph knew that if he was ever caught out of bed in the middle of the night, he would surely get a thorough lecture, not just from Professor Dresdale, but from Fletcher as well.

Knowing Fletcher like Joseph and the other students for that matter did, if anyone was to be considered _not_ human, it was Hadramus Fletcher hands down. Hadramus Fletcher was of House Slytherin and was considered to be one of the most disliked and unpleasant people at school and if given a choice between Fletcher and Snape, Joseph would much rather be caught by Snape then by Fletcher any day.

Knowing Fletcher's methods of punishment, Joseph would most likely be made to dig out the scat pit behind the Hippogriff stables, which was considered one of the worst punishments that could be given to a student at Hogwarts. Furthermore, Hadramus's appearance was even more squalid looking then Argus Filch (the previous night hall-walker and caretaker of the castle) ever was, even on his worst days. To Joseph, Hadramus was akin to something like a lonely and wreathed beast with long, stringy hair that only half washed off after a dust bath and Fletcher's pale skin made him look even more unpleasant.

Sure, Fletcher's face and hands always seemed to be clean and seemed to smell clean, but Joseph couldn't say that for the rest of Fletcher. But as had always been the case, Joseph's curiosity had greatly gotten the better of him. Bringing out his wand in the pitch blackness of the corridor, Joseph whispered very softly, "_Lumos_..."

This produced a brilliant blue light which shown brightly from the tip of his wand. Quietly and cautiously, he walked down the long, dark corridor towards the back entrance to the school, creeping past sleeping portraits of long dead wizard's and witches alike, including a portrait of Fred Weasley, who was quietly sitting in an armchair in his portrait with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

Of course, it didn't take much to wake Fred Weasley up when mischief was involved. Furthermore, Fred knew who Joseph was and knew that whenever Joseph was involved in something, it almost always had something to do with mischief or trouble making.

"Psssst, Joseph," whispered Fred suddenly from his portrait, causing Joseph to stop and look back at him. "Where do you think you're going?" whispered Fred mischievously.

"Why would you want to know? You can't come anyway," hissed Joseph, bringing his wand up close to the front of Fred's portrait. "It's none of your business."

"Oh, come on, Joseph," whispered Fred out through the front of his portrait, with a mischievous grin running across his face. "I like mischief! Going off to see Hagrid again are we? I heard that he found a mysterious egg."

"That's just what _he_ said, Fred, it doesn't mean that it's true," whispered Joseph, "And besides, he's the Hogwarts game keeper for pity sake. He should know what everything that involves magical creatures are. If I know Hagrid, he's got something important for me to do."

"Like what?" asked Fred, who was becoming more curious by the minute.

"Well, I don't know!" hissed Joseph, "And stop asking me such silly questions! Anyway, I've got to go now so don't tell anyone that I'm out of bed! Good night!"

But just as Joseph was turning to continue down the corridor, Fred spoke once more, "I wouldn't go down that way then if I were you."

"And why not?" asked Joseph, looking back at Fred once more. Fred began shifting his eyes and looking around him before he gestured Joseph closer to his portrait and got up from his armchair, kneeling down closer to the front of his portrait as though he was trying not to be overheard by anyone else but Joseph. Joseph once again held his wand up close to the front of Fred's portrait so that he could see Fred clearly in the light from his wand.

"I've been noticing something strange lately," whispered Fred, who continued to look around him nervously, "You do realize that there isn't any way for a person who dwells within the portraits to actually step out of their portrait and walk among the living don't you?"

"Is this a trick question?" said Joseph, shifting his eyes briefly and then glaring on at Fred.

"No, seriously, hear me out," whispered Fred once more as he tried to look down one end of the corridor and then down the other end before looking back at Joseph again. "There's something strange going on around here. Yesterday, while I was wandering around in the portraits, I noticed that strange woman that Professor Snape is hanging out with wandering about."

"So what? Everyone in the portraits wanders about now and again. That's something those who dwell in the portraits do." said Joseph, who was starting to worry that he might be caught out of bed.

"No, you don't understand," said Fred, shifting his eyes back and forth down towards both ends of the corridor once more before looking back at Joseph once more. "She was wandering about _outside_ of the portraits!"

Suddenly, Joseph fell silent and looked at Fred as though Fred had gone mad. Suddenly, Joseph began to hear footsteps slowly coming towards him down the corridor.

"Put your light out Joseph! Quickly, before they see you!" whispered Fred frantically as he stood up again and quickly went back to his armchair as if he was frightened to be seen talking to Joseph by some still unseen presence.

"_They_?" whispered Joseph, who felt so sure that the footsteps that he was hearing belonged to Hadramus Fletcher and no one else.

But Fred was insistent, "Do it…now!" At that moment, Joseph whispered "_Nox_…" causing the light from the tip of his wand to cease shinning, turning everything around him pitch dark again. Joseph then noticed something strange. The footsteps had suddenly stopped and everything became ominously quiet, until - _tap, tap, tap, tap, tap_.

The footsteps had continued on, slowly but steadily, coming down the corridor towards Joseph in the pitch blackness - _tap, tap, tap, tap, tap _- becoming louder and more refined after every step - _tap, tap, tap, tap, tap_. To Joseph, it sounded like the footsteps of a man who wore leather soled shoes. But the footsteps had a subtle but noticeable uniqueness to them, a very soft metallic tapping sound to them that Joseph never heard in Fletcher's footsteps.

The footsteps sounded as though the person who was making them was very much aware of their surroundings, but was not at all scared or hesitant about walking down a very dark corridor in the middle of the night. There was even a hint of fearlessness buried within the sound of the footsteps. To Joseph, this was a sign that whoever was coming down the corridor towards him was someone who was not going to be easily deterred or distracted, or in other words, they were going to be trouble for Joseph.

Joseph began to get nervous as the footsteps came ever closer, closer until they suddenly stopped once more, as if only five feet away from him. For all that Joseph knew, whoever or whatever it was, was now standing right in front of him, waiting for the opportunity to frighten him into a panic and make him run away down the corridor in the opposite direction.

Of course, within the pitch blackness, Joseph couldn't see anything in front of him, which made his situation even more unnerving. Though this was swiftly remedied when a brilliant burst of blue light suddenly broke through the blackness in front of Joseph, causing Joseph to gasp and jump with fright slightly. The light was coming from the tip of another wizard's wand, but was a light that was not conjured up by no ordinary wizard, as Joseph would soon discover.

There, standing before him in the light of their wand, was a man that Joseph would have never imagined seeing outside of a portrait, Severus Snape. For a moment, Joseph thought that he was seeing a ghost, but as Severus took a half step closer, glaring at Joseph with a mild look of surprise on his face and saying nothing, it became clear to both of them that they were not seeing things.

Unable to grasp what he was seeing, Joseph quickly dashed back down the corridor in the opposite direction, running away from Severus as fast as he could. Joseph quickly ran back into the Ravenclaw Common Rooms, clearly shaken, panting and frightened out of his wits. Joseph could not believe who he had just seen and quickly felt the need to tell someone.

**INT. HOGWARTS, THE HEADMASTER'S OFFICE - MORNING (MAY 27TH, 2007) **

The next morning, word began to spread throughout the castle about Severus Snape being spotted outside the portraits by a student, namely Joseph, and soon, Vadamus Titch was asking Severus Snape to come to the Headmaster's Office to be asked some questions about what happened last night. As Severus appeared and walked through the portraits in the Headmaster's Office towards an empty portrait that had been set aside for him, others in the portraits continued to listen and look on with both curiosity and suspicion. Soon, Severus stopped and looked out through the portraits and into the Headmaster's office, where he soon spotted Joseph, who was sitting in an armchair in front of Titch's desk. Severus eyed Joseph coolly as he walked into the empty portrait and sat down in the armchair that was within it.

Severus soon spoke, "You wished to see me, Headmaster?"

"Indeed, Severus," said Titch politely, but Joseph wouldn't take his eyes off Snape, not for a second. Joseph continued to glare at Severus anxiously as the conversation continued.

"There has been a claim brought against you by a student who says that they had spotted you wandering the corridors last night outside of the portraits," said Titch, looking on and smiling. "I have since told this student that it was utterly impossible."

"Indeed, Headmaster. I have never heard of such a ridiculous thing before," said Severus softly and nonchalantly, clearly unconcerned by what he was hearing. "No person within the portraits can step out of their portrait and walk about in the world of the living. Only ghosts can do that and I am clearly not a ghost."

"Indeed. But this student was most insistent that what he saw was not a figment of his imagination. He has also since told me that another person from the portraits has been wandering about the corridors at night outside of the portraits and that Fred Weasley can confirm this."

"Really, Headmaster, do you honestly believe in such a preposterous accusation? It sounds..._impossible_..." - Severus paused and looked at Joseph briefly before looking back at Titch, speaking nonchalantly once more, "Perhaps the boy consumed something that was causing him to hallucinate? Something from my old storerooms of potions and herbs perhaps? There are plenty of items in there that can cause one to see things."

"I can confirm that this student has no trace of mind-altering potion or chemical in his system."

"Then he and Fred Weasley are obviously making up lies to gain attention. And you know how Fred is, he is after all...a Weasley. It's also possible that my past reputation with the students could also be playing a part in this as well, you never know."

"That is indeed true, Severus. But I have heard of the story about the Window of Auradinthia, an enchanted picture frame which is said to allow those who have died once to enter the world of the portraits and step out of it again. That is the closet thing I could think of to explain why this student claimed to have seen you in the corridor last night. Of course, the person would have to be what is called a Once-Dead in order for it to work, and therefore would most certainly be alive, and therefore makes the student's claim not only possible, but plausible."

"I heard of that story to, Headmaster. It is just a story, an ancient legend that was past down through my family long ago. And chances are, such a picture frame wouldn't exist anymore, if it ever existed at all. Will that be all, Headmaster?"

Titch looked at Joseph, then back at Severus before speaking softly towards Severus once more, "Yes, Severus...for now. You may go."

"Thank-you, Headmaster." said Severus, and with that, Severus left the empty portrait and walked off, giving one final cold look at Joseph before disappearing back into the rest of the portraits once more.

Titch looked back at Joseph as Joseph spoke anxiously once more, "He's lying, sir. I know he is. I saw him with my own eyes. He was standing right in front of me..._literally_ right in front of me. He startled me and made me run back to my Common Rooms in terror...sir, you must believe me, I would have never made something like this up!"

"It's alright, Joseph. You don't need to say anymore," said Titch, raising a hand in reassurance and bringing it down again. He then stood up from behind his desk and walked around it to the front. "But the evidence you bring here is very little and inconclusive. You're claim may or may not be true, Joseph. But for now, I strongly recommend that you stay within your Common Rooms and out of the corridors at night and I advise that you don't go looking for Severus Snape after you leave, even if you do know the truth and have a need to reveal it...off you go now."

And with that, Joseph nodded his head and stood up, turning and walking towards the door to the Headmaster's Office. Just before walking out the door, Joseph looked back, only to see Titch wave at him. Joseph then looked forward again and vanished beyond the door as it closed behind him. Titch then brought his hand down and spoke, "For the truth may bare consequences that could be more disastrous then one could possibly ever imagine."

Titch then went around his desk and sat down behind it once more, listening to the old grandfather clock chime in a corner behind him.

**CONTINUED…CHAPTER 7...**


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7: THE SOLEMN EVENING

**INT. SYTHERIN COMMON ROOMS – EARLY EVENING (APR. 22ND, 1976)**

Later that afternoon, after being embarrassed by Verena, Severus had found his way back to the Slytherin Common Room. Alone there for the most part, he would spend the rest of the afternoon studying and scribbling notes in his potions book by the light of the roaring fire in the marble Slytherin fireplace, sitting in an armchair quietly next to it.

The Slytherin Common Rooms included bright emerald green and gray hanging drapes, which bared the serpent insignia of Slytherin House. The elegant gray marble staircase, which was located on the wall behind Severus, led to the Slytherin bedrooms, while an extra-large main room with elegant stain glass windows with the symbol of House Slytherin embedded within them made up the remainder of the Slytherin Common Rooms.

The main room, where Severus was seated, included desks, armchairs and sofas. It also included unlit lanterns which hovered in mid-air above Severus, as well as the marble Slytherin fireplace. There was also a large, crystal chandelier hanging in the main room. Sections of the gray stone floors of the main room were covered by bright green velveteen rugs baring the symbol of House Slytherin, while the walls were flanked by high bookshelves full of books.

Above the immense marble Slytherin fireplace, hung the Slytherin House Coat Of Arms, which included the house colors and the image of a snake, as well as a pair of fencing swords mounted on the wall underneath it. The fireplace was located on the same wall that the entrance to the Slytherin Common Rooms was located, where Slytherin students would first enter the main room through it before going up the staircase to their bedrooms.

For a while, Severus was left alone in the Common Rooms to study quietly. Suddenly, he heard the door to the Slytherin Common Rooms open slowly and then close ominously, the door creaking loudly as it opened. Unable to see who it was at first, Severus looked up from his potions book and squinted, trying to catch what little he could see in the dim light of the room.

"Hello? Who's over there?" said Severus softly.

A figure began to slowly step into the light of the fire and manifest in front of Severus. It didn't take long for him to realize that it was another student of House Slytherin and another one of Severus's close friends. The student's name was Victor Scabior, though he often just went by the name of Scabior. Scabior was only a year older then Snape was and had fair skin, with gray-blue eyes and brown hair with a blood red streak going through it.

"Severus?" said Scabior with a slight break in his voice. He walked up next to Severus and stood.

Severus began to glare in disapproval, as though Scabior had just made the ultimate mistake by disturbing him in his studies. Severus never liked being disturbed while he was studying, even when it was a member of his own House that disturbed him. However, the look on Scabior's face told Severus that something was bothering him terribly.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want? I'm studying." hissed Severus softly, looking on with a subtle look of agitation upon his pale and sneering face, glaring out past his curtains of black hair.

"I'm sorry," said Scabior sadly, "But Professor Slughorn told me to come in here and fetch you. I've been ordered by Professor Dumbledore to escort you to the Headmaster's Office."

"Whatever for? I didn't do anything wrong," said Severus, "It was Verena Witchazel who caused all that trouble that happened earlier. And besides, I am quite capable of going to the Headmaster's Office on my own."

"I know, but..." Scabior began to stutter, "...but he said that I should be there with you when...when he tells you...I'm...I'm really, very sorry..."

Severus began to wear a look of shrewd puzzlement upon his face, narrowing his eyes once more.

"What is this all about Scabior?" said Severus, "What does Professor Dumbledore have to tell me?"

But Scabior wouldn't answer. He just continued to stare at Severus sadly, as though he knew what Dumbledore was going to tell Severus was something that Severus would not like to hear and thus couldn't bring himself to tell Severus on his own.

"Come, Professor Dumbledore and a few others are waiting for you." said Scabior finally, as tears began to slowly well up in his eyes.

Still puzzled, Severus closed his potions book and sat it down on the table next to him before he got up from the armchair and followed Scabior out the door to the Slytherin Common Rooms. The door closed slowly and ominously behind Severus and Scabior.

**INT. HOGWARTS SECOND FLOOR CORRIDOR, TOWARDS THE GREAT HALL – EARLY EVENING (APR. 22ND, 1976)**

Later that evening, Verena once again goes looking for Severus Snape, as the moon began to rise high in the sky and shown down over the sprawling landscape and the castle below. She had been thinking about what she had done to Severus earlier and decided that the best way to end the grudge that Severus had for her was to try and apologize to him. Thus, the only way that she was going to find Severus again on such short notice was to use a special _Accio_ spell, which would be able to locate Severus no matter where he was hiding. Using her wand and holding it tightly, Verena pointed her wand out in front of her and spoke the spell, "_Accio Attracto_ Severus Snape..."

Suddenly, like a dog pulling their master on a short leash, the wand jolted forward, making a high, zinging metallic sound as it tugged Verena forward. She was quickly led down one dimly lit corridor after another by her wand, turning a corner and another corner still. She walked past the lines of lit torches which hung on the walls around her and past the countless enchanted portraits which hung on the walls of the corridors. She continued to be tugged along relentlessly by her wand.

After a few minutes of this, Verena was brought only twenty feet away from the doors to the Great Hall, where breakfast and dinner at Hogwarts was held daily and where most of the school's special events took place. The Great Hall was also occasionally used as a classroom when the room normally used for a class was being occupied or being used in some other way. Verena's wand was tugging even harder now, a sign to her that Severus Snape was near. Letting go of her wand, it continued to make a high, zinging metallic sound as it zipped forward through the air and flew to the foot of the Great Hall's wooden doors, where it stopped. Verena began to run towards the doors to the Great Hall. Upon reaching the doors, she looked down and noticed that her wand was pointing to something which was sticking halfway out from underneath the doors.

Verena picked it up and soon realized that it was a copy of _The Evening Prophet_. _The Evening Prophet_ was the evening equivalent to _The Daily Prophet_, the wizard newspaper and the source of all wizard news. The wizard newspaper, as anything in the Wizarding world was, was just as enchanted with magic as the portraits around Verena were. Those in the portraits around her looked on as Verena stared down at the newspaper. Even the pictures on the newspaper moved, as did some of the writing. Though Verena was curious as to why her wand had been pointing at the newspaper, she didn't seem too interested in what it was saying. Unknown to Verena however, she was about to notice something on the front page that was anything but pleasant. Suddenly, one of the portraits nearby began to speak.

"You're not going to like what you'll be reading in that, Verena," said a man suddenly from one of the portraits, mildly startling Verena, who recognized the man as one of her dead uncles, Hadarimus Witchazel.

"Uncle Hadarimus?" said Verena suddenly.

"If I were you, I wouldn't read it. It's bad enough that you lost us to Sulphilim so very long ago. You don't need any more grief and anguish in your life." said Hadarimus once more.

"Hadarimus, please, leave her alone," said the voice of a woman, who was Verena's Aunt Bethia Witchazel née Torvel, who was married to Hadarimus and also long since dead. Bethia sat next to Hadarimus in the portrait, holding him by the arm as she continued, "She already notices. But truly dear, you are not going to like it. We've been noticing how you've been paying attention to young Severus Snape lately. We know you are quite fond of him. Though it seems that you now have even more in common with him than ever before. Don't be sad my dear, you can comfort each other."

"I really wouldn't read it you know. You'll find out soon enough." said Hadarimus once more.

Wanting to heed her uncle's warning, she was about to let the newspaper fall to the ground, until she saw the grizzly headline, with its title words pulsing bright red.

**FIRE IN COKEWORTH KILLS FAMILY, FOUL PLAY CONFIRMED!**

_'According to an investigation that was conducted by investigators from the Ministry Of Magic and with the aid of the Cokeworth Police, it has been confirmed that the fire which had occurred this early evening on the 22nd of April, 1976, at 2103 Spinner's End in Cokeworth, Northern England was the work of foul play, caused by a mysterious young woman. According to eye witnesses who watched and attempted to put out the fire, the fire had been burning for 15 minutes by the time the Cokeworth Fire Department had reached the blaze._

_'The witnesses who were present at the time claimed that around 8:37pm, the strange woman had confronted and argued with the owner in front of the house at 2103 Spinner's End and then ran away around the corner, only to reappear about 15 minutes later, entering the house by use of an odd and unusual method that the witnesses were unable to describe properly. She then reappeared suddenly 7 minutes later after a huge commotion was heard inside the house. Upon standing in front of the house, the strange woman turned around, pausing only for about 2 minutes before pointing her wand at the house. It is assumed that the strange woman had sealed the doors by using an entrapment spell. It is also claimed that the woman had also cast two more spells onto the house, one of which made those inside unable to disapparate and escape the house._

_'Moments later, the woman cast another strange spell towards the house with her wand, causing the explosion which led to the burning of the house. The woman then ran down the street, vanishing around the corner once more. For the next ten minutes after, as was claimed by the witnesses, screams and cries for help were heard from the burning house. Witnesses tried to free those trapped in the house, but to no avail._

_'By the time the Cokeworth Fire Department was able to respond; most of the interior structure of the house had been burned down to a cinder and was forced to watch the remainder of the house burn down. The remaining fire was quickly expunged, allowing for investigators to enter the smoldering remains of the house. Upon entering the remnants of the house, the burned remains of those trapped inside were found_

_'Those who perished in the fire includes the following: Tobias Snape (Muggle), his wife Eileen Snape née Prince (witch), Tobias's parents Edmund Snape (Muggle) and stepmother Irene Snape née Wilfe (Muggle), his brother Edward Snape (Muggle) and his half-sisters Darline Snape (Muggle) and Christine Snape (Muggle), his half-brother Jered Snape (Muggle), Eileen's nephew Patrick Starvel (wizard) and her older nephews Edward Starvel and James Starvel II (wizard), Eileen's sister Daniela Starvel née Prince (witch) and her brothers Fitzgerald Prince II (wizard) and Cian Prince (wizard), Eileen's parents Lethbridge Prince III (wizard) and her mother Cathaline Prince née Wovel (witch). Patrick Starvel was only 10 years old. It has been claimed by witnesses that James Starvel was holding his younger brother Patrick close to him as they died._

_'The Snape Family is survived by Tobias and Eileen's son, Severus Snape (wizard), Tobias Snape and Edward Snape's biological mother, Eveline Prince nee Rosill (squib), Eileen's sister-in-law Adelaide Prince née Potter (witch), Eileen's nieces Abigail Prince nee Willowind, Lana Starvel (witch) and Catherine Starvel (witch) and nephew Christopher Starvel II (wizard), Daniela's husband Christopher Starvel I (wizard), Abigail's husband, Garard Willowind I (wizard) and their two sons, Garard Willowind II (wizard) and Bartamius Willowind (wizard), Tobias Snape's half-brother Nathalius Prince (wizard) and Nathalius's children, Jack, Janine and Joseph Prince (wizard, witch, wizard), Tobias's half-sister Daphiline Prince (witch), further members of the Prince Family (wizard family), further members of the Potter family (wizard family), further members of the Willowind family (wizard family) further members of the Rosill family (wizard family), further members of the Starvel family (wizard family), further members of the Wovel family (wizard family) and further members of the Wilfe Family (muggle family)._

_'It has yet to be decided who will gain guardianship over Eileen's son, Severus, though by all accounts noted he will remain at Hogwarts School until a guardian for him is appointed. A 5,000,000 pound reward has been issued for the capture and arrest of their killer, who remains at large. Eileen and Tobias's son, Severus, is the last known surviving member of the Snape family...'_

"Oh, no..." said Verena, looking up at the portrait of her uncle and aunt with a look of dread in her eyes, "...Severus..."

"You lost your family long before Severus did, my dear," said Hadarimus, "But even still, you and Severus now have more in common than Severus himself realizes. Have you told him about us my dear?"

"No, I haven't still," said Verena as her voice began to break slightly as she turned away, bringing a sleeve to her eyes, "Though it seems that we're all connected by grief these days, but even more so now between me and Snape. Poor Severus, I feel so bad for him."

"Happiness can't exist without grief my dear, just as good can't exist without evil. They balance one another, where within that balance there exists both truths and lies," said Bethia, who glared on, smiling softly and watching Verena, "There can never be one without the other. Remember my dear, we are always more powerful in our masses then we ever are alone. No one can do everything alone, just as Severus can't always grieve alone. Be his friend Verena, love him and keep to close to him, for he may never live long enough to find the true love and happiness that he's so desperately in need of in his life...remember..."

Suddenly, Verena began to hear gentle sobbing coming from the Great Hall. She looked up at the doors briefly before she walked up to them and pulled the handle of one of the doors towards her, opening it. The door groaned and creaked slightly as it opened. She then stopped and stood in the threshold of the Great Hall's massive doors.

Inside, the Great Hall was a vast room, long and sweeping, where a row of high marble pillars sat on both sides of the Great Hall. Narrow balconies sat atop narrow rows of pillars, where hanging drapes hung down and skirted narrow arching doorways, behind them which lied a narrow walkway and large, unlit fireplaces in the wall.

The flags of each of the four Houses hung down from metal rods that were attached to the flanking sides of the balconies, suspended high above over the Great Hall below. The walls and pillars were flanked by lit torches running down the entire length of the walls and pillars on either side of the room.

At the far end of the Great Hall, there was a long, oak staff table which sat upon a raised portion of the floor and sat underneath a large and elaborately decorated cathedral type window above it that was made of stained glass crystal and framed in wood, with curtains of crimson and gold colored drapes hanging down from its sides.

A set of four longer oak wood tables ran vertically down the entire length of the Great Hall, ending near the foot of the raised portion of the marble stone floor. Each of these tables belonged to one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School and was where the students would sit during breakfast and dinner and occasionally to study.

Looming high above Verena, there was the arching cathedral type ceiling of the Great Hall, where the space between the ceiling and the floor above her was crowded with lit candles which hovered and hung in mid-air. As the ceiling was bewitched, Verena was able to look beyond it at the night sky above the castle, which was filled with countless twinkling stars.

Suddenly, Verena began to hear sniffling and gentle sobbing once more, coming from the far end of the Slytherin table, which was the table closest to the wall on the left. It didn't take long for her to realize that the gentle sobbing and sniffling was coming from Severus Snape, who had his head lying on the table and his face buried in his arms. Around him were other Slytherin students, including Victor Scabior, who was sitting closest to Severus and looking on with remorse.

"I cannot express enough how sorry I am for your loss, Severus. But you will be alright, Severus. You'll see," said Victor Scabior as he placed a hand on Severus's shoulder, "Though I certainly understand how you must be feeling right now. I wouldn't know what to think if I found out that my father was killed."

Another Slytherin student, with fair skin and blond hair and was sitting next to Severus, looked up at Scabior and narrowed her eyes, "He's not crying over his father, Victor. And if you ever heard of the stories about Snape's father that I have heard, you wouldn't cry over him either."

"He's crying over his mother then?" said Scabior.

"I wouldn't know about that either," said the Slytherin student, "But I think we should all leave Severus alone to mourn in peace for now."

There was a look of remorse in Verena's eyes as she looked over at where Severus and those sitting with him were sitting. Saying not a word, Verena turned away quietly and stepped back out into the corridor, closing the door silently. Once out in the corridor again, she looked at the newspaper once more and began holding it close to her chest, bowing her head in silent remorse and sadness, with her amber colored locks hanging down from both sides of her face.

**INT. THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS - EARLY AFTERNOON (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

After finding their way to the compartment where they would be siting during their trip to Hogwarts, Albus Potter, James Potter, Lily Potter, Rose Weasley and Hugo Weasley settled in and began doing the things they usually did while going on trips. As was usually the case, Albus and those with him were normally on the train with only other students as there were usually no adults aboard the Hogwarts Express except the witch with the tea trolley and the train driver, and possibly a fireman, who was needed to shovel coal into a locomotive's boiler to keep it running, although the shovel and other components had spells placed on them to perform the tasks without the need of a fireman. Occasionally, new teachers would be found aboard the train as well, taking the journey to Hogwarts with the rest of the students, but as far as Albus and the others knew, their were no teachers on board.

As they sat in their compartment on the train, James was sitting next to Albus and busy reading _The Daily Prophet_ that he had stolen from The Well-House earlier, while Lily, Rose and Hugo were busy looking at large book titled _Nola's Book of Ancient and Forbidden Magical Practices (Revised Edition)_, which included entries of some lost magical practices as well as entries of rare herbs and potions that were associated with some of the practices in the book, including the ALPS. Rose had brought the book with her, along with several other interesting and obscure books that Rose was bringing to help her in her studies at Hogwarts.

"Do you see this, Albus?" said James, pointing to the article on Severus Snape that was on the back page of the newspaper, "This is what our Father read earlier. It's mental, I tell you. And what makes them think that the rumors are true? I mean seriously, have they actually gone to the Shambles and found witnesses to back up these claims?"

"I heard that several wizards had been sent to the Shambles to try and find out the source of the claims, including Uncle Harry. But so far, they've come up empty." said Rose, looking up from the book she, Lily and Hugo were looking at.

"Well, I'm not surprised," scoffed James, "They should have told the person who put this article in the newspaper to talk to them when they actually find something."

"They've done that to, James, and they still don't have anything." said Rose once more.

"It's a waste of time for Dad if you ask me. Dad should be out chasing dark wizards and dark witches that are actually alive, not chasing rumors all over the North of England. It's just mental, all of it."

"He's got a point you know," said Hugo, butting in, "And besides, what would they do with Severus Snape if he _was_ alive?"

"They'd take him to the Ministry Of Magic to be put on trial and maybe Azkaban Prison afterwards," said Albus, "But that's Dad's job, he's an Auror. He chases dark wizards and dark witches for a living. It would be Dad's job to bring Severus Snape in if he was ever found to be alive. But no one can confirm that Severus Snape actually is alive...truthfully..."

As Rose and Hugo went back to looking at the book with Lily, the familiar sound of a trolley going down the corridor between the compartments could be heard. It then stopped in front of the open door to the compartment, showing off a various assortment of candies and drinks favored by young wizards and young witches alike.

The woman pushing the trolley soon looked in. She was much younger then the woman who usually pushed the trolley and spoke with a strong Scottish accent, "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

As the journey to Hogwarts commenced, a celebration quickly rang out throughout the train. Unbeknownst and to the surprise of the students, a small group of Scottish musicians were taking the Hogwarts Express back to Scotland, playing a sprightly and up-beat Scottish folk tune with violins, tambourines and a strange hand cranked instrument called a hurdy-gurdy. A hurdy-gurdy was a European stringed instrument in which the strings were rubbed by a rosined wheel instead of a bow. The wheel was turned by the player's right hand, while the left hand played the tune on the keys in the keybox. Two of the strings called the chanters or melody strings, run though the keybox and their vibrating length was shortened by the key pressing against it.

Now the musicians were dancing down the middle of the passenger cars, playing their instruments as students clapped to the beat of the music and yelled joyously as the musicians passed. Soon, the musicians went past Albus's compartment, while James and the others with Albus were busy eating candy and laughing. James's pet ferret Gisbourne was sitting on James's lap and chattering, while Willowbree was sitting on the luggage rack above where Albus and James sat, looking down and giving a low and mellowed meow. Featherbeak was screeching softly and sitting in a cage on the luggage rack above where Lily, Rose and Hugo sat.

Further down the corridor, Cyrus Snape looked down the corridor through the entrance of the compartment that he, Evangeline and Darius were sitting in. Though he was not coming to school with Cyrus and Evangeline, he was taking the trip with them as their parents were, but so far, their parents had yet to show themselves.

"Shouldn't we save Mum from that noise, Cyrus? It has got to be mental in there." said Evangeline softly with a subtle hint of concern in her voice as Cyrus kept his eyes on the celebration that was going on further down the corridor.

"Mum doesn't need saving, Evangeline, Mum needs an excuse to get out of there without being noticed." said Darius softly and nonchalantly, looking on coolly at his sister.

Cyrus quickly pulled himself back into the compartment as the musicians came closer. Next to Cyrus was a small stack of parchment and a quill pen. He quickly placed a piece of parchment onto his lap and pulled out his wand, which was 15 inches long, with a handle made of Holly, a stem made of Ebony and with a dragon heartstring core, which was the same as Evangeline's wand, though her wand had a distinctly different design from Cyrus's wand.

Cyrus soon placed the tip of his wand on the parchment in front of him and spoke, "_Macula Atra_...", causing blotches of black to form and appear on the parchment, as if black water droplets had fallen on the parchment and had bled into it. Cyrus then spoke another spell, "C_harta Volucres_...", causing the parchment, now spotted with black, to quickly transform into an enchanted paper bird. Evangeline and Darius watched as Cyrus brought the paper bird towards the entrance to the compartment and held it out into the corridor.

Darius soon spoke, "What do you think you're doing, Cyrus?"

Cyrus looked at Darius and softly replied, "Giving Mum an excuse..."

And with that, Cyrus looked back at the elegant and enchanted paper bird, which gently flew off of his hand and gracefully flew towards the compartment where Albus and those with him were still busy laughing and eating candy, telling jokes and sharing stories among one another. The graceful paper bird flew over the musicians as they passed and flew into the compartment, where it began hovering and moving about in a place where it wouldn't be noticed except by Willowbree, who began staring at the enchanted paper bird with interest. Willowbree quickly jumped down from off of the luggage rack and landed on the floor of the compartment, where she meowed and started to follow the paper bird out of the compartment, keeping her eyes fixed on the paper bird as it flew. Albus and those present in the compartment were to busy with celebrating to even notice Willowbree leaving as she walked into the corridor and vanished around the bend, meowing as she left. The celebration continued long into the afternoon.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 8...**


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8: A SHOWDOWN AT HOGWARTS

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE GREAT HALL - AFTERNOON (DEC. 15TH, 1973)**

Throughout Hogwarts Castle, the castle was decorated with a bright and glittering display of Mistletoe, enchanted Christmas lights and enchanted Christmas ornaments. The students and teachers alike were getting ready from the coming Christmas festivities, the Christmas Feast and the lighting of the special Hogwarts Christmas Tree, which would remain lit from Dec 15th and all the way through New Year's Day. The Great Hall was lavishly decorated with enchanted white and sliver Christmas wreaths, glittering sliver Christmas tinsel and white and sliver vases full of enchanted white Poinsettias which moved about and blew blasts of cold, icy air up the robes of any students that passed by them.

One Gryffindor student had her robe blown up over her head by one of these cold, icy blasts, the sight of which was followed by the boisterous laughter coming from a small group of Slytherin students who were sitting about the Slytherin table nearby. The Gryffindor student looked over at the Slytherin students as she pulled her robe down and straighten it, narrowing her eyes and scowling at them before walking on. The illusion of snow falling into the Great Hall from the ceiling could be seen in the empty space above the floor and the student tables, while a pile of gifts, both large and small were hiding underneath a large white Christmas tree which sat near the staff table.

**EXT. OUTSIDE HAGRID'S HUT – AFTERNOON (DEC. 15TH, 1973)**

Outside on the school grounds behind the castle however, things were a bit more interesting for Severus, who was sitting on the doorstep of Hagrid's Hut eating chocolate covered ginger snaps and drinking peppermint tea with Hagrid, observing all the snow and ice that surrounded them. Past the back garden and beyond the wicker fence behind Hagrid's Hut was the edge of the Dark Forest, which was nothing but bare trees, dead underbrush, yellow nettles and iced brambles, covered in snow and ice as far as the eye could see. According to the school rules, the Dark Forest was off limits all year round to everyone except Hagrid, teachers or students that were escorted by Hagrid or teachers. Though everything was warm and inviting inside the hut, Hagrid was more interested in sitting outside on a large wooden chair covered with animal skins, which sat near the stairs which led up to the front door.

"Doin' alrighty there, young Severus?" said Hagrid, sitting next to Severus. A muffled mumbling of enjoyment and appreciation rose up from Severus as he drank up another cup of peppermint tea and stuffed another chocolate covered ginger snap in his mouth, his red cheeks bulging.

"Now don't yeah be eatin' up all them there ginger snaps and peppermint tea now," said Hagid cheerfully, "I wouldn't want yeah to go spoilin' yer Christmas Dinner now, especially since them teachers have been workin' so hard on it."

But Severus wasn't even listening to Hagrid, as Severus was doing nothing but sitting and humming a muffled wizard's Christmas tune contently to himself as he continued to drink up peppermint tea and stuff chocolate covered ginger snaps into his mouth. Hagrid looked down at Severus and smiled, all too aware that Severus seemed quite a peace and content enough with simply just sitting on the doorstep next to Hagrid and eating up all the chocolate covered ginger snaps and peppermint tea that he could stomach.

"Pathetic," uttered a familiar voice suddenly, causing Severus to stop eating and look up in front of him.

There, looking coolly down at Severus, was Verena, scowling and standing with her arms crossed. "Pathetic I tell you, eating up all of Hagrid's ginger snaps and peppermint tea!"

"But I like them!" mumbled Severus through a mouth full of ginger snaps. "Don't you want any?"

"And end up looking as pathetic as you? No thank-you." hissed Verena, her arms falling to her side.

"Why hello there, young Witchazel," said Hagrid, looking over at Verena. Severus slowly swallowed his mouth full of ginger snaps and quietly licked his lips a bit as Hagrid continued, listening on in silence. "Came down'ear to collect young Severus for the Christmas Feast did yeah? Why don't yeah wait awhile and be havin' a ginger snap and some peppermint tea with Severus'ear."

"No thank-you, Professor. I only came down here to fetch Severus." said Verena.

"Whatever for?" asked Severus, drinking up another cup of peppermint tea. "I'm quite content with just sitting here and eating ginger snaps. I'm tired of going to that stuffy Christmas Feast every Christmas. I'd rather sit here in the snow and talk to Hagrid."

"Suit yourself," said Verena coolly, "But that means you won't be able to visit with your Aunt Adelaide."

"_My_ Aunt Adelaide? She's here, at the castle?" said Severus.

"_Your_ Aunt Adelaide," scoffed Verena bitterly, her pallid face wearing its familiar cold and bitter expression. "I wish I had someone visiting me and to go home to during the holidays. But alas, I have no one to go home to...I am alone."

"You mean you have no one to be visitin' you during the holidays?" asked Hagrid concernedly, looking over at Verena, who was starting to scowl and brood where she stood. "Don't you be havin' any family to go home to?"

"No one, Professor, I have no one. I lost my family a long time ago, they all died." hissed Verena.

"But you never told me that!" said Severus suddenly with a subtle stunned look upon his face, realizing that Verena had never said a word to him about losing her family before.

"You never asked," said Verena coolly, narrowing her eyes at Severus. "And frankly I don't know you or trust you well enough to open up to you, at least not yet anyway."

"But we've been friends for months now! I trust you exceedingly, you could have told me!" said Severus with a subtle stunned look on is face, standing up and walking up to Verena and then standing. "Why didn't you tell me, Verena? I can understand how you feel right now."

"I don't know how you can understand me, Severus, _you_ still have your family, _I_ do not. But enough about that for now, I need to take you to your aunt," said Verena coolly as she turned and began walking up the path again to the castle. "She's probably waiting for you in the Great Hall by now. We mustn't keep her waiting."

Hagrid watched as Verena and Severus left and went up the cobbled path together.

**EXT. COBBLED PATH TOWARDS HOGWARTS CASTLE – AFTERNOON (DEC. 15TH, 1973) **

Soon, Verena was half way up the path before Severus caught up with her.

Severus began to flank Verena as he spoke, "Why don't you trust me as much as I trust you, Verena? You're the only other student here I trust the most besides Edward Groset. Though frankly I also trust Lily Evans and Victor Scabior as well, but maybe not like I do with Edward."

"Ugh! Edward Groset? That Slytherin snake in the grass? Why on earth do you trust him so much?"

"It's a long story. And frankly I don't trust you well enough to tell you about it!"

Verena let out a small gasp, then spoke, "Severus, how dare you? That is just underhanded and low. Don't be so..._mad_ about it."

"But you should trust me as much as I trust you, Verena!"

"Severus, please. You clearly must understand why I couldn't tell you, especially since we are both Occlumens..."

Verena narrowed her eyes at Severus for a moment, then spoke softly once more, "...I'm sorry. I suppose I should have told you. But it's just so hard for me to open up to anyone...even to my friends."

Severus looked at her disagreeably at moment, then spoke softly, "You're right, I'm sorry to...Anyway, I wouldn't call my family much of anything. My mum and dad are almost always fighting, which is always forcing me to have to hide somewhere and get away from it. Sometimes I even run over to my Aunt Adelaide's house now and again to get away from it when I am not here at school. Since my mum hardily ever comes to the school to visit me because of my dad and her job, my Aunt Adelaide takes it upon herself to come and see how I am doing now and again. Why don't you visit with me and my aunt at the school, Verena? I'm sure she'd be alright with it."

"She's not _my_ aunt to visit, Severus, she's yours!" said Verena bitterly, scowling at Severus before looking forward again, walking in front of Severus. "And what's gotten into you? You were never this polite and understanding to me before."

"Because you are just like me." said Severus softly.

Suddenly, Verena stopped and looked behind her, looking drearily at Severus as Severus continued, "I understand now. Why you care so about me so much and why we're such good friends. You grieve and you hurt just as I do. We're both Occlumens and we understand one another in so many different ways. I could even admit that we're hardily different from one another at all. We're equals, Verena, you and I."

Suddenly, Verena turned, walking calmly and slowly up to Severus before stopping and looking up at him sadly, taking his right hand into her left hand gently and holding it. "Yes, Severus. We are equals in so many ways," said Verena softly and calmly, no longer sounding angry or agitated. "We both have painful and tormented memories that we strive to keep hidden from the rest of the world and we both find means of protecting ourselves from the rest of the world so that it will not hurt us anymore then it already has. I'm just glad that we both finally realized that. "

And with that, Verena let go of Severus's hand as she and Severus smiled gently at one another. Verena then turned to face the back of Hogwarts Castle again as Severus offered Verena his left arm. Verena smiled as she took Severus's arm and together, they walked slowly up the narrow cobbled path and up to the back of the castle, walking over the back courtyard.

But just before they were about to enter the castle, a loud flapping of wings was heard behind them, along with a hideous and ear-splitting shriek. Verena and Severus turned and looked up above them, only to behold a most terrifying, horrific sight. It was a monstrous hydra, with shiny, pitch black scales; massive, sleek bat-like wings; large, long and slender limbs; a long, sleek tail and five long, sleek necks topped with five large and sleek heads. It had long, sharp claws on its hands and feet and its gaping mouths were full of long, needle sharp teeth like that of an anglerfish, but were larger and able to be bent back into its mouths like that of a snake's fangs.

Though fairly large in size, its body was slender and sleek, like that of a cat's body and its heads were fairly large but sleek and arrow shaped in appearance. The creature was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. And it was now barreling down on young Verena and Severus. Verena and Severus screamed and ran into the castle as the creature dropped down several yards behind them, flying over Hagrid's Hut and nearly landing on Hagrid. The creature hissed and shrieked as it pulled in its wings and began walking on all fours towards the castle, unaware that Hagrid was already trying to stop it from going into the castle, but to no avail. The back entrance to the castle was just large enough for the creature to enter through it, hissing and flicking its forked tongues as it entered.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, FIRST FLOOR CORRIDOR – AFTERNOON (DEC. 15TH, 1973)**

Inside, Verena and Severus ran towards the Great Hall, going past students and teachers alike.

"Hydra!" cried Verena loudly, "Hydra in the castle!"

Suddenly, a loud shriek from the creature sent the students and teachers screaming and running for their lives as it turned the corner and walked into the corridor beyond it. Turning its heads to look down the corridor, the hydra spotted Verena and Severus running down the corridor. It quickly made chase after Verena and Severus, blazing past panicked and frightened onlookers. At one point as it got closer and closer to Verena and Severus, a large burst of brilliant blinding sliver-white flame bellowed out from the centermost head of the hydra, aiming it towards Verena and Severus, missing them but scorching everything in sight.

"What the...? That's magnesium flame!" cried Verena, who looked back only briefly to see if the hydra was still following her and Severus. "Since when does a hydra shoot magnesium flame from it mouths?"

"No time to explain, keep running!" shouted Severus, who ran past Verena, grabbing Verena's arm and turning a corridor with her. All around them, students, teachers and those in the portraits panicked, flattening themselves against the walls of the corridor as the hydra charged down the corridor past them, shrieking and snarling loudly. Suddenly realizing what was going on, some teachers and courageous students alike began to assemble and ran after the hydra down the corridor, their wands drawn and poised for a battle. Another burst of magnesium flame nearly struck Verena on the back as she and Severus ran and turned towards the open doors to the Great Hall, entering through them, followed closely by the hydra.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE GREAT HALL – AFTERNOON (DEC. 15TH, 1973)**

"Out, everybody out!" yelled Severus, causing everyone who was in the Great Hall to look up and notice the hydra coming through the doors to the Great Hall. Looks of fright and disbelief fell upon the faces of those in the Great Hall as they began to scream and scatter, running for their lives.

"Why on Earth did you lead the hydra into here?" yelled Verena, who ran up to Severus and grabbed him by the arm, turning to look up at the hydra.

"Because it won't be able to fly or escape from here. It will be trapped! Now we can fight it together!" said Severus, who was already looking up at the hydra with his wand drawn.

It was at this moment, when everyone but Severus and Verena had escaped out the back door to the Great Hall, that the hydra turned and stopped just inside the door of the Great Hall, placing its hands and feet on the wall and then burying its claws into the wall as it climbed up it, its back facing Verena and Severus, hissing loudly and flicking its tongues once more.

But this was no ordinary hydra that had been chasing Severus and Verena. The hydra had a reason and purpose to chase them, though its main focus was on Verena. It didn't take long for Verena to realize the hydra's reasons and purpose for chasing her and Severus. The long scar of three claw marks which went down its back told Verena one thing, it was the very same hydra that had killed her family many years ago, the hydra that went by the name of Sulphilim.

"Sulphilim? Severus, It's Sulphilim!" said Verena suddenly, trying to keep one eye on Severus and the other on Sulpilim. The hydra, Sulphilim, continued to keep an eye on Severus, but particularly Verena, as it hissed and continued to climb up the back wall of the Great Hall.

"What?" said Severus.

"It's the hydra that killed my parents, my whole family," said Verena, pulling on Severus's arm. "Severus, come on! She's going to kill us! We need to escape!"

"No!" said Severus defiantly, narrowing his eyes and still looking on at Sulphilim. "I didn't lead him in here so that you and I could run away and escape! We must fight her and stop her before she destroys the school before it's too late."

"She's not here to destroy the school, Severus, she's here to destroy me!" said Verena, who continued to pull on Severus's arm.

Severus glared over at Verena then reluctantly following her as she ran out the back entrance to the Great Hall. Suddenly, Sulphilim took flight inside the Great Hall briefly, then landed on the floor as she started chasing and baring down on the fleeting Severus and Verena, knocking over the tables and everything in her path. Once again, Sulphilim shot a molten white blast towards the pair, nearly scorching Severus's back. However, once through the back door to the Great Hall, Sulphilim couldn't follow Verena and Severus and began ruthlessly scratching and pawing at the door, shrieking and roaring loudly. Thinking that they had evaded Sulphilim, Severus and Verena stopped running and turned around to look at Sulphilim, who was now staring right at Verena through the opened back door with its many heads.

Verena then yelled as she glared at Sulphilim with burning eyes, "I know you, you monster! You remember me, don't you? You killed my parents! My entire family! You came here to finish the job, but it's not going to happen, not ever! So you know what will happen next and what I am about to do...to you!"

With vindictive eyes, Verena soon pulled out her wand and slowly aimed it up toward Sulphilim. Noticing the wand aimed towards her, Sulphilim stepped away from the back entrance to the Great Hall and suddenly vanished. Then, moments later, a loud crash resonated across the grounds behind the Great Hall. It soon became clear that Sulphilim had taken flight and had crashed through the large stain glass window of the Great Hall, flying out beyond it and over the grounds below. Soon, Sulphilim was once again chasing Verena and Severus, this time towards the armory, a lone stone structure which sat not far from the Great Hall. All around them, students and onlookers alike panicked and fled, trying to get away from Sulphilim as fast as they could.

**INT. THE HOGWARTS ARMORY – AFTERNOON (DEC. 15TH, 1973)**

Verena and Severus quickly ran into the Hogwarts school armory, which was normally off limits to students. Upon the walls and within the armory, various swords, staffs and other medieval type weaponry were being displayed. Realizing where she and Severus had ended up, Verena quickly hid away her wand and pulled down one of the long swords from off the wall. A panicked Severus, with his wand drawn and pointed in front of him soon looked over at Verena, who was now holding up the sword and looking at it with wild glaring eyes.

Severus then spoke, "Blimey, and who says chivalry is dead?"

"It never was, Severus. And I know what to do now. I must face Sulphilim and kill her...for my family." said Verena, as she walked towards the entrance to the armory with the sword. Outside, the loud shrieking and roaring had stopped and now everything was quiet and unsettling.

"No, please don't," said Severus, grabbing onto Verena's arm. "Please don't go out there, it's not worth it. I like you to much to let you risk your life like this. Let me face her and kill her in your place. I understand how you feel, Verena, and I'm willing to do that for you in the name of friendship."

"I know you would, Severus, but you can't. I must be the one to kill Sulphilim, Severus. It's the only way to stop her and to ensure that she doesn't do this to anyone else ever again. She murdered my family, Severus. I watched her kill my family in cold blood. Now, she will pay the price."

Verena soon pulled her arm away from Severus. She then stared at Severus a moment and then turned and walked on out the door to the armory, holding the sword in her right hand.

**EXT. THE HOGWARTS ARMORY – AFTERNOON (DEC. 15TH, 1973)**

Outside, Sulphilim was perched precariously upon one of the castle spires, looking down at the armory below, knocking off snow and shingles with her claws. She knew that sooner or later, Verena would have to come out of the armory, since there was only one way in and out of it. As expected, Verena slowly appeared in the entrance to the armory and stepped out onto the grounds beyond it. By this time, the teachers and students that had followed Sulphilim were now trying to find where she had gone. With Verena and Sulphilim there virtually alone, it was made clear that they would fight. Though it would have been easier to use her wand to defeat Sulphilim, Verena instead wanted to use a sword which unbeknownst to Severus, had been enchanted with a spell by Verena's wand just before Verena hid it away back into her robes.

Verena had turned the sword into a truly enchanted weapon, which now had the ability to do more damage then would be seen with the naked eye. As Verena looked up at Sulphilim and Sulphilim looked down at Verena, both prepared themselves for the fight of their lives, a fierce and violent showdown from which only one was destined to survive.

Verena raised her sword, which began to glow with a hazy blood red light as Verena yelled towards Sulphilim, "You want to finish what you started Sulphilim? Then come and get me!"

A loud and lengthy screech resonated outward from center-most head of Sulphilim and ceased as she spread her wings and flew up into the air. She then started barreling down on Verena, shrieking loudly as she came. And then - crash! - Sulphilim nearly landed Verena, who quickly reappeared within the large folds of Sulphilim's wings. Verena started batting at Sulphilim with her sword, cutting wounds and scratches into Sulphilim's thick hide. Severus quickly stepped in with his wand soon after, aiding Verena in her fight. Sulphilim's heads took turns attacking Verena and Severus, but every time each head got anywhere near Verena or Severus, they were being cut and wounded by Verena's enchanted sword or being sliced by Severus's _Sectumsempra_ spell as he used his wand. Though Severus wanted to use the _Avarda Kedavra_ and the _Crucio_ spells on Sulphilim, he couldn't for fear that he might hit someone with them or be caught using Unforgivable Spells, which would have meant almost certain expulsion from Hogwarts.

Knowing this, it made it quite clear why Verena was not using her wand to fight Sulphilim. Verena continued to weave and dodge away from Sulphilim's razor sharp teeth and claws, as well as her hot white magnesium fire blasts as they fought. At one point, Sulphilim was using her tail to strike at Verena, swinging it around as hard as she could. But every time Sulphilim tried to hit Verena with her tail, she would instead hit the ground or hit a surrounding structure, knocking stone and other materials around. Verena swiftly used her sword on Sulphilim's tail, placing deep cuts and wounds within it. After a couple minutes of fierce and bloody battle, Verena suddenly disapparated, vanishing from Sulphilim's sights. Sulphilim began to look around for Verena with her five heads, looking everywhere and at everything around her. Nearby, students and onlookers alike watched in horror, unable to do anything when in fear of their lives.

What Sulphilim didn't know was that Verena had appeared again, only this time she was on Sulphilim's back. But by the time Sulphilim realized this, it was to quickly pointed the tip of her sword down and held it with both hands as she spoke, "_Caedere Impalare_..."

The blade of the sword glowed an even brighter blood red as Verena plunged the sword into Sulphilim's back, causing Sulphilim to shriek and cry out in pain. Sulphilim froze in a contorted pose for a moment before ultimately going limp and falling towards the ground. Verena pulled out the sword and jumped off as Sulphilim fell with a mighty crash, kicking up a cloud of ice and snow around her. Sulphilim would move no more. Once the clouds of ice and snow had parted, Verena stood alone, triumphant, panting heavily and with only a single cut running across the top of her left forearm, which had come from one of Sulphilim's claws as it grazed her.

The group of students and teachers that had been following behind with their wands earlier suddenly appeared and beheld the sight of Verena, standing in front of Sulphilim's body. Sulphilim had gasped her last breath, leaving her mouth wide open, exposing her long and pointed teeth and forked tongues. An uproar of cheering and clapping began to resonate through the air as Verena turned around and looked at Sulphilim grievingly, dropping the sword next to her and grabbing onto her left forearm. Severus quickly reappeared and ran up to Verena as students, teachers and onlookers alike began to appear and surround Verena and Severus. Verena first looked at Severus and then looked at everyone cheering and whistling around her, giving an uncomfortable grin and nodding her head in response. Severus quickly tied a cloth around Verena's forearm to cover up the wound and followed her through the crowd surrounding them. A teacher soon appeared and placed an arm around Verena's shoulders, sending her towards the infirmary.

As Severus was about to follow the teacher and Verena to the infirmary, a scream rose up from the crowd. A student pointed at the body of the hydra nervously and spoke, "Look! the Hydra! It moves!"

Severus and Verena turned almost instantly, only to watch the Hydra's body begin to shrink and melt, transforming into a blob-like puddle of scaly skin and blood. It took Severus a few moments to realize what was happening, but once he did, his face began to turn red with anger. The group of students and onlookers suddenly screamed when a woman began to appear from underneath and out of the blob-like puddle, getting on her hands and knees at first as she rose from it, dressed in her long, violet purple robes. To everyone's horror and dismay, Sulphilim the Hydra had not been a Hydra at all, but a witch with exceptional Animagus abilities. But this witch was no ordinary witch with Animagus powers, but was someone that Severus had recognized from a time long ago, Lady Mapheria. The crowd of teachers, students and onlookers began to panic and run away, disappearing back towards the castle, while Verena stood still with the teacher that was standing next to her, looking on.

Mapheria then got on her back and laid on the ground, stunned and bleeding from the wound in her back, her forehead covered in sweat. Without so much as a word from her mouth, Severus picked up the sword that Verena had just dropped and went charging towards Mapheria in a fit of anger and rage, raising the sword over his head. His Occlumancy powers had become greatly compromised upon seeing Mapheria, who he recognized as someone whom he clearly despised for some reason.

"Severus, what are you doing? Stop! Don't! You mustn't!" cried Verena as she ran towards him briefly and then stopped. But Severus wouldn't hear of it, he just kept charging towards Mapheria with the sword over his head. But Mapheria was too quick and pulled out her wand before Severus could plunge the sword into her. Getting up onto her knees in a flash, her wand suddenly transformed into a long sword similar to the one that Severus had and came up to meet his sword coming down upon her, blocking it and stopping it over her head. She then spoke forcefully, "_Deflecto Auria_!" sending out a powerful blast of crimson red light in all directions, which projected outwards from her body, knocking Severus, Verena and those nearby back hard.

Mapheria then stood straight up, gesturing and posturing with her sword a moment before setting herself into a striking opposition with it as she spoke, "I have learned a great deal more ancient Dark Magic since last we met, my dear second cousin. Oh, how I've waited for _this_ moment!" said Mapheria, holding the sword sideways out in front of her as the blade of her sword glowed a brilliant and bright crimson red light.

Severus quickly got back on his feet and pointed his sword back towards Mapheria, ready to charge towards her again, but before they could really get into an all-out brawl with one another, Mapheria could hear the familiar sound of reinforcements coming up from behind Severus and Verena.

Mapheria then spoke once more, "It seems that your lady friend here does not know. Perhaps you should tell her before she finds out unexpectedly. We will meet again, my dear second cousin and then we can continue with our little duel. But for now, enjoy the rest of your time at Hogwarts, while you still can."

And with that, the light from Mapheria's sword faded, then the sword transformed back into a wand as she hid back under her robes and ran towards the Dark Forest, vanishing into the underbrush. Severus would not follow her, watching her as she ran off. He would indeed meet her, some other day. Verena stood back up and then walked up behind Severus and stood next to him as she spoke, mildly worried and confused, "Severus? What just happened? What was she talking about?"

Severus brought down his sword and turned to face Verena, "I'll tell you about it later. But for now, me and the teacher need to get you to the infirmary."

And with that, Severus gently took Verena by the arm and brought her back to the teacher who had been standing and watching the whole thing silently as other teachers came along soon after, having heard the commotion.

Never in the history of Hogwarts School, has a witch of Verena's age ever taken on a fully grown hydra, namely a hydra as infamous as Sulphilim, and lived to tell the tale. From then on, Verena would be known by more then just her name, but also as Veridonna, The Hydra Slayer. Verena would slowly become a legend of Hogwarts School and would eventually receive special awards for Services to The School, as well as win the house cup for her house of Ravenclaw within the year for killing Sulphilim and ridding the Wizarding world of yet another unwanted burden, even though Mapheria was Sulphilim and continued to live. But Verena remained humble, sharing half the credit with Severus, since he helped her defeat Sulphilim.

This is course, caused Severus to receive some of the reverence and gain a great number of points for House Slytherin, which made James Potter somewhat spiteful and jealous of Severus from then on. Lily Evans on the other hand, didn't think of Severus in the same way that James Potter did and instead continued to treat Severus like she had always done ever since they met. But for the boy who was normally alone and kept to himself, Severus was now being invited to join various school clubs and organizations, including _The Slug Club_. But it wasn't until a few weeks later that Severus had discovered another secret that Verena was hiding from him and he would soon confront her with it.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 9...**


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9: ALBUS'S DREAM (PART 1)/THE JOURNEY TO HOGWARTS (PART 2)

**INT. THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS TO HOGSMEADE STATION - LATE AFTERNOON (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

After all the excitement had died down, Albus found himself slowly nodding off, until eventually, he fell asleep. Unbeknownst to Albus however, it was the intention of the man in the black hooded cloak to cause Albus to fall asleep. As Albus began to sleep, the man in the black hooded cloak pulled out a small, glowing, baseball-sized transparent sphere, which looked like a snow globe with no mount and was filled with seemingly nothing but water and snow. It was known in ALPS circles as a _Dreamgleamer_, a forbidden magical object which allowed one to look into the mind of another as they slept and implant dreams within. Standing well out of sight, the man in the black hooded cloak held up his left arm in front of him and opened up his left palm, revealing the enchanted crystal ball, which began to shimmer and glisten with an eerie blue light. Suddenly, Albus instantly found himself wide awake in a dream, looking all around him at an empty and darkened compartment. Despite this, he could still feel the train moving underneath him and could still hear the faint sounds of the wheels rolling down the rails underneath the passenger carriage.

Wondering where his brother James and the others had gone, Albus opened the door to the compartment and walked out into the corridor, which was just as dark and as empty as the compartment was. Once out in the corridor, Albus closed the door to the compartment and began walking down the corridor past other compartments, looking through the windows of the closed compartment doors. But Albus soon realized that every compartment he looked into was as empty and as dark as his compartment was.

"Hello? Is anyone here? Hello?" said Albus.

But Albus could not see nor hear anyone in any of the compartments he passed and appeared as though he was the only one in the carriage, until he reached the very last compartment at the end of the corridor. He soon noticed that the doors to this compartment were open and that a light could be seen within it. Albus then began to hear garbled voices coming from this compartment and slowly walked up to the entrance and looked in. Inside the compartment, Albus could see Cyrus, Evangeline and Darius, talking amongst each other over a news article they saw in a copy of the _Evening Prophet_.

"Excuse me, but do you know what's going on? Where is everyone?" said Albus, but Albus's words were falling on deaf ears and it soon became clear that no one in that compartment could hear him.

"Will you look at that?" said Darius coolly, holding up the newspaper in front of him. Upon the front page of the newspaper was an article about the recent rumors that have come out of the North of England about Severus Snape, its title pulsating in bold print. "Mum and Dad are getting to noisy. I thought the plan was _not_ to get noticed. But instead, these rumors are becoming even more frequent then ever before." - Darius then threw the newspaper down onto the seat next to him and began brooding with his arms crossed.

"You can't expect Mum and Dad to stay hidden for very much longer, Darius," said Cyrus nonchalantly, looking at Darius with a withering share as Evangeline sat next to Cyrus, listening quietly. "And personally I find it amusing that Mum and Dad are pulling the wool over everyone's eyes. If only the Wizarding World knew the truth. It would be the story of the century."

Darius scoffed softly as Evangeline spoke coolly, "And besides, Mum and Dad have been in hiding for nearly 20 years now and they are taking a huge risk in letting us go to school to learn more magic, apart from the private lessons that we normally get from them. But fortunately for us, Mum and Dad have cast a Perception Spell over us so that the other students or the teachers won't perceive us as our father's children."

"But I want to go to Hogwarts and be sorted with you and Cyrus, Evangeline," protested Darius, "I've been wanting to be sorted into Hogwarts School for as long as I can remember. And why do we have to take the train back to home? We could have simply flew home and to Hogwarts on Moesdolor's back without having to be seen by anyone. But instead we're taking the train and all because Dad wants Harry Potter's son to have a dusty old book and to know that we are our father's children."

"Control your emotions, Darius, my brother. Calm yourself, your time will come," said Cyrus softly, "There's no need to have an argument over this. And you know the rules of our family. If you have any complaints to bring up to Mum or Dad, use a wand and not your mouth!"

"Well, I can't though can I? Because I don't have my own wand yet. Ever since I was 7 years old, I've been either using one of Dad's spare wands or one of Mum's spare wands. I've never in my life had my own wand, not like you two do now."

"You're lucky that Mum and Dad ever let you use a wand at _that_ age," said Cyrus coolly, "And even luckier that Mum and Dad were so willing to give us private lessons before ever even going to Hogwarts. By Hogwarts standards, each of us has the equivalent magical talent and abilities of a student in their 4th year, and that's saying allot on our part. We know much magical knowledge and are gifted in Occlumency, Potions and Magical Archery, but there are some things that Mum and Dad can't teach us, which is why me and Evangeline are going to Hogwarts and getting sorted. Be grateful of the magical knowledge that you know now and stop complaining."

"But, it's not fair!" hissed Darius once more, "Why should you and Evangeline get sorted and not me? I want to go to Hogwarts and get sorted with you!"

"Please, Darius, my brother, calm yourself. Remember what Mum and Dad said." said Evangeline softly as Darius brought his arms down to his sides and stood up.

"I've had enough of this! I'm going to the dinning car and getting some Boggerberry juice! You two are on your own for now." hissed Darius, and with that, an emotionally roused Darius walked out of the compartment and into the corridor, closing the door to the compartment behind him. Darius then turned and faced Albus, but appeared as though he was not at all reacting to his presence. Then to Albus's utter surprise, Darius suddenly walked forward and straight through Albus, as though Albus was a ghost. Not only was Albus unheard, he was also unseen. Albus quickly turned around and followed Darius with his eyes. Silently, Albus watched as Darius walked to the other end of the passenger car and vanished behind the door at the end of the corridor, closing it behind him.

Wanting to know what was going on, Albus began to follow Darius. But as Albus began to walk down the corridor, the view of the corridor and the compartments began to stretch in front of him, as though Albus was looking down a very long tunnel. As Albus composed himself and continued down the corridor, Albus soon realized that the compartments he had passed earlier were no longer compartments, but had transformed into vastly larger rooms. Though the entrances and the doors to the compartments remained the same, the interiors of the compartments now appeared to be showing scenes cut out of time.

As Albus walked closer to the entrances to the compartments, all the compartment doors before him on either side of the corridor quickly sprang open on there own, startling Albus briefly as he started to walk on. Coming upon the first entrance to a compartment, Albus came upon the sight of a House-Elf standing in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by a vast field of tall yellow grass, which stretched far beyond Albus's point of view. Albus could see the darkened evening sky which shown above the field of grass below. Albus soon realized that this was the large field of tall grass that was located near the town of Little Whinging. It was an event that had happened just after the aerial wand battle that occurred over Little Whinging on July 27th, 1997. Albus then noticed that the House-Elf standing in the middle of the clearing was Treevole, who Albus had met at home earlier. Albus soon noticed that Treevole was crouched over the body of a large white owl that had been killed during the battle.

"Mistress," squeaked Treevole nervously towards the tall grass in front of him, "Treevole has found Harry Potter's owl."

"Good job, Treevole. I knew that you could find her," said an elegant and cold voice of a female from behind the tall grass. The grass near Treevole soon parted, revealing the sight of Verena in dark emerald green robes. Albus had yet to know of her. Verena quickly stepped over Treevole and kneeled down over the body of the owl.

Verena then looked over the owl and spoke silkily, "You found Hedwig just in time, Treevole. And she is certainly in a bad way. But I think...I can save her."

"Treevole is happy to have found Harry Potter's owl. Treevole was concerned that he would not find Harry Potter's owl in time."

"Hedwig, Treevole. Her name is Hedwig. And she needs our help," said Verena coolly. Suddenly, Verena looked up towards Albus and smiled cunningly as though she could suddenly see him. Albus glared back at Verena as she looked back at Treevole and then back down at Hedwig.

Treevole then spoke nervously, "But how are we going to save her, Mistress? I fear that we have come to late."

"Have you forgotten that the potion works slightly different on animals and House-Elves? How do you think I was able to bring your brother Dobby back from the grave in time? The window of opportunity is much longer." said Verena coolly as she pulled out a small vile of the Resurrection Potion from the left pocket of her robe.

"And Treevole will be forever grateful to his mistress for that," - Verena narrowed her eyes at Treevole as he continued, "But how will Harry Potter know that Hedwig is still alive?"

"He won't, Treevole...he can't. At least not right now," said Verena, and with that, Verena turned to focusing on Hedwig. Verena quickly flipped Hedwig onto her back and laid her back on the ground before Verena began to slowly run her wand up and down Hedwig's body and spoke a spell that Albus had never heard of before, saying it three times and speaking it in the form of a melody, "_Vulnera Sanentur_..."

As Albus watched, Hedwig's mangled body began to straighten up until she appeared to be back to normal. Verena then pulled the cap off the vile of Resurrection Potion with her teeth. She then placed three drops of the enchanted blue liquid into Hedwig's beak and then placed the cap onto the vile once more before hiding the vile back into her robes. She then pulled out her wand from her right robe sleeve once more and placed the tip of it onto Hedwig's body. She then spoke yet another spell that Albus had never heard of before, "_Resurgio_..."

Suddenly, a blast of blue light rippled over Hedwig's body, which was followed by a long, drawn out screech. Verena then hid her wand away as Hedwig began to stir and stood up, alert and fully healed from her injuries. Albus could suddenly hear a man's voice speak softly and silkily, "Death can be defeated and one given everlasting life, if one wishes of it." - In slow motion, Albus watched Hedwig fluff up her feathers and screech softly, looking all around her curiously.

Albus soon walked on. Soon, he began to hear the moans and cries of a woman giving birth. Following the painful cries and moans, he came upon yet another scene, as Albus once again saw at normal speed. This time, Verena was lying in bed underneath a blanket and holding a newborn in her arms. This was the birth of Darius, which had occurred in the main bedroom of Snape's House in Cokeworth on Oct. 29th, 2008. Darius had been born in the very same bed that Severus had been born in years before. Albus watched as the midwife who had helped Verena give birth left the room through the compartment entrance and vanished into thin air as she walked down the corridor. Albus then looked back and soon noticed a familiar face next to the bed where Verena laid. Much to Albus's astonishment, he was seeing Severus Snape kneeling down next to the bed with a subdued look of joy upon his face. Verena was looking down at the newborn Darius, grinning and cooing over him.

"Isn't he beautiful, Severus, my love?" said Verena with a slight crack of joy in her voice, "He looks just like me when I was born."

Severus looked down at Darius and smiled shrewdly as he spoke, "You did well once again, my dear Belladonna. He will certainly make a fine edition to the Snape family household."

"Are you kidding? He'll be wonderful!" said Ergot, who was sitting in an armchair next to the bed on the opposite side, "And just before Halloween to. Talk about timing."

"It isn't Halloween yet, Ergot," said Severus with a withering stare and stood up again, placing his hands behind his back. "But you're right, the timing is a bit unexpected."

"Darius is our little Halloween surprise, yes he is." said Verena, still cooing over Darius incessantly.

"Uuck, listen to her, Ergot. She's positively glowing from all this, cooing over him. Her Occlumency powers are seriously broken down at the moment." said Severus in mild disgust.

"And yours would be broken down to if you were holding him, Severus." said Verena in a mildly defensive manner, looking up at Severus then back down at Darius. And with that, Ergot gave a mischievous smirk as Severus gave his usual gaunt, nonchalant and cold expression, raising an eyebrow briefly. Just as Albus was about to walk on, Verena looked up at him as she was holding Darius, looking at Albus in a cold and contemptible manner. Once again, Albus felt that Verena could see him, which made him feel rather uncomfortable. Darius then began to cry, causing Verena to look down and smile softly at Darius once more.

Albus quickly moved on once more. Through the entrances to the following compartments, Albus began to see various events of Cyrus, Evangeline and Darius's childhood as well as various events of Severus and Verena, which seemed to span across over 20 years in hiding. There was a scene of the children in a private Potions lesson with their father. In this scene, Cyrus and Evangeline appeared to be 8 or 9 years old, while Darius appeared to be around 7 years old. The room was filled with clouds of fumes, which bubbled up from the small cauldrons which were sitting in front of each of the children, sitting at small desks and writing quietly in black leather bound notebooks with elegant quill pens. Albus soon realized that this was one of several disused classrooms that were located on the 5th floor of Hogwarts Castle, which were only used when the school was overcrowded. Upon a raised portion of the floor, Severus was sitting quietly at a desk reading and feverishly writing in a black leather bound book with a brood pointed quill pen, looking on in his usual bitter and brooding manner.

Cyrus then sat his quill pen down, causing Severus to speak coolly as he continued to look down and write in the book in front of him, "No one told you to stop writing, Cyrus."

Cyrus then slowly and nonchalantly raised his left arm up over his head, further getting his father's attention. Severus looked over at Cyrus coolly, "What do you want, Cyrus?"

"Forgive me, Father, but I need to go to the boy's lavatory. I've been making potions and writing in my notebook for three hours now and I haven't had a break yet." said Cyrus softly.

Severus looked back down at his book and spoke, "Have you finished the page that you are on?"

"Yes, Father," said Cyrus, as he and the other children looked over at their father.

"Then you may go...and remember to take Hedwig with you." said Severus in his usual soft and bitter voice, as Cyrus closed his book and got up from his desk and walked towards to where Hedwig was perched in the far corner of the room, "She will keep an eye out for other students and teachers for you. And make sure that you are not seen by anyone, you know the secret path to the lavatories. Just because you're having private lessons here at Hogwarts doesn't mean that you're in school yet."

Severus then noticed Evangeline and Darius watching Cyrus as Cyrus brought out his arm and called to Hedwig, who then flew off of her perch and landed on Cyrus's arm, screeching softly as Cyrus walked towards a door with her and vanished behind it.

"Hedwig was there watching us when me and Cyrus were born. Now she's always looking out for us. But it's unfortunate that she wasn't there when you were born, Darius." said Evangeline with a soft smile.

"And is there any reason why you two have stopped writing?" said Severus in his most dangerous voice, which prompted Evangeline and Darius to quickly get back to writing in there notebooks. Neither Evangeline or Darius was going to argue with their father, for their past experience of doing so stuck strongly in their minds.

Darius leaned towards Evangeline and whispered, "I'm not about to get smacked by Father's notebook again like last time. We've long since learned that arguing with Dad with our mouths will get us nowhere. I'm telling you, when it comes to teaching students or us for that matter, Dad can be a real nightmare..."

Unbeknownst to Darius however, Severus was hearing every single word from his desk as Darius spoke. Seeing that he needed to give Darius a reminder to keep quiet while in his private lessons, Severus silently walked over to where Darius was siting and gave him a firm smack on the back of his head with his notebook. Darius gave a soft groan of distress and rubbed the back of his head as Severus walked back to his desk with his stark black robes breezing back behind him. It was clear to Albus that Severus's teaching style had changed little since his supposed death.

"You deserved that you know, taking about Father behind his back." said Evangeline quietly, who gave a soft smile of sympathy and went back to writing in her book. Severus himself then sat back at his desk, dripped his quill pen in an ink well and went back to writing in his book. As Severus started to write once more, he suddenly stopped and stared dangerously over at Albus. Now Severus was doing the exact same thing that Verena had done to Albus earlier, which made Albus feel ever more uncomfortable. After a brief moment, Severus looked back down at his book and continued writing.

Albus felt the urge to walk on once more. The next compartment showed a scene of Verena teaching the children Magical Archery. But every time Cyrus or the other two children drew back their bows to shoot the glowing arrows, Verena would hit the back of their legs or the back of their heads with her bow, just hard enough to where it would sting a little, but not necessarily hurt them. This of course, caused the children to miss the targets entirely, which secretly irritated them to no end. Albus slowly started to have an inkling that Verena was possibly the new teacher who was coming to Hogwarts to teach Magical Archery, which made Albus shiver slightly.

"Focus!" said Verena coolly as she stood behind Cyrus, who drew back his bow once more. Verena then brought the tip of her bow up to Cyrus's ear, flicking it gently. This caused Cyrus to miss the center of the target, but just barely. Verena then smacked the back of Cyrus's head firmly with her bow and once again spoke, "Focus!"

Of course, Albus missed the whole point of the lesson entirely and the reason why Verena was smacking the children with her bow as they fired. But Albus would learn the purpose of Verena's relatively mild abuse soon enough as he moved on. In the next compartment, Albus came upon a scene of the children playing in the snow in front of Snape's house on Spinner's End in Cokeworth. They were laughing and giggling as they threw snowballs at one another and ran around one another as if they were playing tag. Both Evangeline and Cyrus then zeroed in on Darius and began throwing snowballs at him. Bringing his arms up defensively to block the repeated barrage of snowballs, Darius giggled softly and spoke, "Hey, no fair...arrgh! No fair!"

"_Iactum Rivus Aqua_..." cried Cyrus as he used a wand he burrowed from his father and cast a spell over a large pile of snow, transforming it into a stream of snow which he then sent barreling towards Darius. However, it was swiftly redirected back to Cyrus with a counter spell from Darius using his own burrowed wand,"_Iactum Rivus Deflectio_..." - this caused the steam of snow to swing around Darius and then fly back towards Cyrus, hitting Cyrus and Evangline and burying them entirely. Holding his burrowed wand out in front of him, Darius then giggled softly as he watched Cyrus and Evangeline pull themselves out from under the snow and brushed themselves off, smiling and clearly knowing that they had deserved it.

Albus soon moved on once more. Through the next compartment entrance, Albus came upon the sight of Verena sitting on a bed and quietly sewing a tear in a small wizard's robe. Albus then noticed Severus, who was sitting next to a window in an armchair, cradling a small boy on his lap. The little boy was Cyrus and he appeared to be only 3 years old. As moonlight flooded into the room and shown down upon Severus's face, Cyrus quietly slept in his father's arms as Severus stared out through the window, seemingly content and at peace with himself in a most subtle and brooding manner. Verena looked over at Severus and smiled softly before going back to her sewing. After a brief moment, Severus turned his head and looked towards Albus, as if he had sensed him watching him.

Saying nothing, Severus gave a withering stare at Albus as Albus heard a man's cold and silkily voice in his head once more, "Do you remember me?"

Suddenly, Albus saw a bright white flash, which seemed to show images of when he had met the man in the black hooded cloak, who had talked to him in Diagon Alley earlier. Albus then realized that the man's voice had he had been hearing in his head was the same voice that he had heard from the man in the black hooded cloak. It was this point that Albus knew that the man in the black hooded cloak was the same man who was staring at him, Severus Snape. Albus then found himself back to where he was, where Severus then sneered at Albus and gave his usual cold and dangerous glance. Albus then heard Snape's voice in his head once more, "Tell your pathetic excuse of a wizard father that his old potions master is keeping an eye on you...run along, Albus."

And with that, Severus turned his head away and looked out of the window once more as Cyrus remained sleeping peacefully in Severus's arms. Verena then looked up and glared coolly at Albus, saying nothing as Albus heard her soft and cold voice in his head, "You heard him, dear boy. Run along," - Verena then looked back down at the small wizard's robe and began sewing once more.

Nervous and slightly trembling, Albus glared at Severus and Verena anxiously, then walked further down the corridor once more. As he finally reached the door at the end of the corridor, a cold and dangerous voice of a woman suddenly projected from the door, causing Albus to gasp and step back quickly from the door. Albus quickly recognized that it was Verena's voice, "Where do you think you're going?"

Verena's face then appeared within the door and began staring down at Albus with her cold dark blue eyes. Albus looked up at her face as she began speaking to him coldly and staring dangerously at him, "You're the most pathetic little boy I think I've ever seen," - she then stared coolly at him and then spoke nonchalantly and softly to him, "Never the less, myself and Severus can still see a great deal of potential in you. And I am going to be teaching Magical Archery to you in school and hopes that you won't disappoint me. But until then, I think you have seen enough of mine and Severus's past for now."

Verena then directed her eyes to the corridor behind Albus. Albus turned to look behind him, only to see the doors to all the compartments slam shut and lock on there own.

"I'll see you at school, Mr. Potter." said Verena softly as Albus turned his head back to the door, only to see Verena's face had vanished, leaving a blank space where Verena's face was. Cautiously, Albus then grabbed onto the handle of the door and opened it, revealing a small dinning car covered with elegant selves, cabinets and narrow counter tops full to the brim with herbs, sweets, snacks, drinks and other necessities. Closing the door behind him, he began to walk towards the end of the dinning car, where a pair of voices could be heard. He soon came upon an open space full of coffee tables and armchairs. There was also a small fireplace, where a fire was burning and crackling inside.

"But it's not fair, Mum," said the familiar voice of Darius, who was sitting on his mother's lap in an armchair and drinking a small bottle of warm boggerberry juice, "I want to be sorted into Hogwarts like Cyrus and Evangeline will be. Why can I not go with them this year?"

"You sound just like I did when I watched my elder brother and sister go to Hogwarts, my dear. But you mustn't be jealous of your brother and sister. You're time will come," said Verena softly as she gently stroked Darius's hair and watched Darius drink his boggerberry juice, "And your Father and I have already told you the reason why you can't go with your brother and sister. Just because me and your Father secretly taught you private lessons at Hogwarts doesn't mean that you were in school. They were just private lessons taught within the family. And besides, you'll see them every night when they come to the in-resident rooms on the 5th floor."

"They'll be expected to stay in their Common Rooms, Mum. How can they possibly come to the in-resident rooms every night?"

"You know our methods, my dear. And you know how we alternate between our houses and the places where we live during certain times of the year. It's how me and your Father have been keeping hidden for so long. You will see your brother and sister again soon enough and then they can tell all about the Hogwarts teachers and their classes. It will be alright...you'll see."

And with that, Verena smiled softly at Darius as she gave him a kiss on the forehead, then looked towards the fire in the fireplace as she held Darius close to her, hugging him gently. Darius smiled softly in return and started drinking his bottle of boggerberry juice once more. Albus then felt the need to look behind him. Upon doing so, he came upon sight of the man in the black hooded cloak, only this time the man's hood was down, revealing the face of Severus Snape, who was standing near the door to the dinning car, staring at Albus icily and saying nothing. For a brief moment, Albus and Severus stared at one another.

Then another voice could be heard, "Albus...Albus...Albus!"

Albus suddenly began to feel someone gently shaking him, waking Albus up with a start. Albus quickly pulled out his wand from his sleeve and began looking around anxiously, until he realized that he was once again in his own compartment, lying in his seat and covered over by a blanket. Albus looked up and saw that it was his brother James who had woken him up, who was now looking at him puzzlingly.

"Albus? We're almost at Hogsmead Station. It's time to get ready," - Albus slowly hid away his wand and continued to look around until James spoke once more as he noticed the blanket covering Albus, "I say, Albus, who gave you the blanket? I know I didn't."

Albus looked down at the patchwork blanket covering him a moment, than spoke, "I don't know...but I really don't know what's going on right now."

James than spoke once more, looking at Albus puzzlingly, "Weird...I say, what's wrong, Albus? It looks like you've just seen a ghost!"

"He's alive, James. He's been alive all this time and we never even knew." said Albus, looking around nervously.

"Who, Albus?"

"Severus Snape...he's alive." said Albus, sounding serious and mildly agitated.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 10...**


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10: THE TALE OF TOBIAS AND EILEEN (PART 2)

**INT. SNAPE'S HOUSE, SPINNER'S END, COKEWORTH - AFTERNOON (DEC. 24TH, 1963)**

As the cold wind blew quietly around the snow covered English town of Cokeworth, the festive atmosphere and the warmth inside Tobias and Eileen's house continued to grow as the Christmas holiday began to unfold. A small Christmas tree stood in the far corner of the main room of the house, decorated with bright sliver tinsel, small, shinning white lights and other brightly colored ornaments. A variety of small, finely wrapped gifts hid underneath the tree as a border collie named Hansel lied slumbering in front of the roaring fireplace. As Eileen was quietly washing dishes in the kitchen, Tobias was sitting in a rocking chair next to a window, gently rocking and cradling 3 year old Severus Snape, who was sleeping peacefully in his father's lap.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Eileen answered the door and soon discovered that it was Tobias's brother Edward, holding a bottle of cranberry juice in his left hand and cradling a couple crudely wrapped gifts under his right arm. After cheerfully greeting Eileen and handing her the gifts, Edward looked over at Tobias and spoke, "Merry Christmas, Tobias."

"Merry Christmas, Edward." said Tobias, looking up at Edward and smiling.

**INT. SNAPE'S HOUSE, KITCHEN, SPINNER'S END, COKEWORTH - AFTERNOON (DEC. 24TH, 1963)**

There was a small oak table in the center of the kitchen, big enough to seat four people. It was covered by lit candles and a magnificent display of delicious food and drinks. But ever since Tobias's younger sister Daniela married the Honorable Christoper Starvel I a few years ago, Daniela had been hosting luxurious Christmas banquets at their house for both the Snape family and the Prince family. But Edward preferred the small, humble parties that Tobias and Eileen hosted.

"Awe, look at him. He's so adorable, Eileen," said Edward, cooing over Severus Snape as he cradled him on his lap. Severus wasn't quite awake, but awake enough to notice that his uncle was paying attention to him. But Severus was unusually quiet and well behaved for a 3 year old. Though whenever the urge hit him, he could play and misbehave like any other child of his age.

"His birthday is coming up soon," said Eileen with a smile as Edward kept his eyes on Severus, "We were planning on taking him to Adelaide's house on his birthday so that the Prince family can see him."

"Ever since Severus was born, the Prince family has been spoiling him incessantly," said Tobias softly, smiling and watching from his chair at the table, "No child can be more loved and admired then he is right now."

Edward looked at Severus as Severus began clapping his two little hands together quietly for a few seconds then stopped as he smiled, with Edward then looking up at Tobias and grinning in amusement. Edward then helped Severus jump off of his lap and watched as Severus ran off into the main room to play with Hansel.

Edward then looked back at Tobias and spoke, "I've heard, brother, that your business at _Snape's Snappy Furnishings_ has gone a bit sour as of late."

"You heard about that did you? Well, everyone is buying rugs and drapes at the moment for some reason, but there isn't much money in selling those here in Cokeworth," said Tobias, sounding mildly concerned as he talked about his business, "I get most of my money from the furniture I make and sell there. But the rugs and drapes around here are of an unusually superior and high quality, which has been the one thing that's been keeping them coming back and keeping me and Eileen afloat at the moment. No one will buy rugs and drapes at are of an inferior or poor quality."

While Tobias was taking about his business with Edward at the table, Eileen quietly stepped over to the entrance to the main room and watched Severus giggling and play wrestling with Hansel in front of the fireplace. Hansel batted at Severus with one of his paws and whimpered quietly as he was wrestling and play biting with Severus in response. Hansel was making funny snorts and other sounds that amused Severus to no end. Severus grinned at Hansel, giggling and appearing as happy and as bright as any other child of his age. Eileen smiled softly at Severus as she watched, but for some reason, she couldn't help but feel that this would be the very last happy Christmas that Severus would have in a long, long time and for more reasons then she dared to think about.

"This isn't right. We bought the wrong kind of wine for this glorious feast!" said Tobias suddenly and Eileen turned to see what was wrong. Tobias was holding a bottle of wine and looking at it, which to him didn't seem to be the best type of wine to drink on such a special occasion. Tobias often knew which wines and other drinks went well with certain foods and with certain occasions as he was a fancier of wines and spirits, though he often never drank unless it was on a special occasion or if it was a fancy dinner that required a small touch of elegance to go with it, like it did now.

"We can't drink this with such a feast. We need an older vintage!"

"Suppose the wine sellers down the street might have something. I'll go get it," said Edward.

"Oh no, no, no you don't!" said Tobias with a hint of mischief in his voice as he stood up quickly from the table, "I want you to stay here and keep Severus company while I go get the right vintage for this magnificent feast. And besides, you hardly ever get the chance to spend time to enjoy your nephew the way it is!"

"And I have to go mail some special Christmas cards that I forgot to send out." said Eileen with a smile.

"Oh dear, looks like you're going to be alone with Severus for a few minutes, Edward. May God have mercy on your soul." said Tobias, smiling at Eileen as Eileen giggled softly.

"I don't mind. It will be nice to steal some time with Severus away from you and the rest of the family. I get a chance all too rarely."

"Have fun, Edward. We'll be back soon." said Eileen as Tobias and Eileen grabbed their coats and walked to the main room towards the door. And with that, Edward followed them and showed them out the door, which soon closed behind them. Edward then turned back to Severus and playfully sneaked up behind him, grabbing him off Hansel.

"I got you, little boy," said Edward playfully, as he tickled Severus, "And now I'm going to eat you!"

Severus then giggled and began wrestling with his uncle, who was play rolling about the floor with Severus and feign pleading. Hansel was whimpering and barking from the excitement as Severus giggled and playfully pinned his uncle to the ground as Edward spoke, feign pleading towards Hansel, "Oh no, the little old witch is going to eat me. Help me, Hansel, help me, before the little old witch in the gingerbread house tries to eat me...oh, Hansel!"

Edward began feign waving his arms around and then played dead for a few seconds as Severus giggled and lied over the top of him, with Hansel barking and wagging his tail, running about around the pair play wrestling on the floor. As Severus and Edward played happily in the main room, neither was aware of what would happen next for Eileen and Tobias and neither had yet to know that this was to be the last truly happy memory that Severus Snape would have in a long time.

**EXT. COKEWORTH, NORTHERN ENGLAND, A STREET - AFTERNOON (DEC. 24TH, 1963):**

Out on the street, Eileen and Tobias walked arm to arm next to one another, trying to keep each other warm. Tobias was looking elegant and gentlemanly as he walked down the street with his favorite sword cane and wearing his favorite broad-rimed hat. Eileen was also looking elegant and graceful, wearing her best winter dress and her finest mink stole, looking as radiant and mysterious as Tobias remembered her as when he had first met her years before. Tobias smiled at Eileen and quietly flirted with her as they walked, causing Eileen to crack a small grin or two. Both Tobias and Eileen delighted in the pageantry of looking distinguished and fairly well off as that was just how they were when out and about among the crowds and bustling activity of daily life.

"It's so cold, Tobias. I hope we can get back safely without getting to frostbitten."

"We'll be alright, so long as we stay close to one another and never stray far. I love you, Eileen, and I will go anywhere and spend eternity with you."

"I love you to, Tobias, and I will always love you. And even if I ever fall from your grace, you gave me Severus and have made me quite happy and content for all these years. I couldn't ask for anything more or less than your love and your company."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, my dear." said Tobias with a smile, getting a smile from Eileen in return. Then, just as Tobias and Eileen were turning a corner together, a cold gust of wind blew off Tobias's hat. Eileen watched and waited as Tobias quickly ran after it, with either unaware of the danger that was about to befall upon him on this cold Christmas evening. Tobias's hat had blown across the street and had stopped right next to a building that was being constructed. Unbeknownst to Tobias however, there was a barrel of bricks that was hanging precariously over the spot where Tobias's hat had stopped and that the rope was beginning to fray.

Just as Tobias was grabbing up his hat and brushing it off, Eileen noticed that the rope holding the barrel of bricks was breaking and cried out, "No! Tobias, look out!"

But it was too late to run over and push Tobias out of the way of the falling bricks. Tobias looked up at the falling bricks and then crouched down, bringing his arms up over his head as if trying to protect himself. Without a moment's hesitation, Eileen pulled out her wand and cried, "_Vertere Pulveris_!" aiming her wand towards the barrage of falling bricks. Upon speaking this spell, the barrel and the falling bricks within it transformed into a cloud of fine white ash that fell down onto Tobias, landing on him and scattering all around him. Eileen had saved Tobias's life but at the cost of showing him that she had been keeping the fact that she was a witch from him for all this time. A sorrowful look shown within Eileen's eyes as she slowly brought down her wand and hid it back within her left sleeve. Tobias looked up at her, unsure of what to say or think of what he had just seen.

Eileen then spoke softly, "Forgive me, my husband, I did not want you to find out like this. But those bricks would have badly injured you or even killed you had I not intervened in time...I...I had to do something to keep you from getting hurt. I'm...I'm sorry."

But nothing Eileen could do or say would stop what was happening before her as she stepped forward to see if Tobias was alright. But Tobias wanted nothing to do with her at the moment. Angered and stunned by what he had seen, all that Tobias wanted to do then was run away as fast as he could. He quickly grabbed up his sword cane a drew out the long blade from within it, pointing it towards Eileen and looking on anxiously.

Eileen slowly brought her hands up defensively and spoke, "Please, my dear. Do not be afraid, I won't hurt you. Please, put that away."

"You're...you're a witch? Why...why didn't you tell me?" said Tobias with an anxious stutter, his eyes glaring wildly.

"My dear, please, let me explain. I was a witch when you first met me long ago and I am still a witch now. I fell in love with you the moment that we first met long ago. But by the time I found out how much you and your family were so against magic, I was pregnant with Severus and then I couldn't leave you, not when I loved you so much. Your parents of course knew that I was a witch, which is the reason why they've been staying away from us for so long. Forgive me, my dear, I did not mean to deceive you like this, but I was afraid of how you would react if you knew."

"Then Severus, he's a half-blood?"

"Yes, my dear, and it is likely that he has strong magical powers, just as I do." said Eileen, keeping her hands up in front of her as she tried to approach Tobias slowly, but Tobias was keeping her at bay with his sword cane. Eileen spoke once more, "It's alright, my dear. There is no need for you to be afraid. With our union we have a chance to end this intolerable hatred that your family has for wizards and witches alike. All you need to do is tell your family that there is no reason to hate magic anymore and that you understand and accept it. I am your wife, Tobias. The very same person you fell in love with on that day long ago. I love you, Tobias, and I will always love you...and I hope that you still love me and accept me...just as I am."

But Tobias continued to step back away from Eileen, keeping his blade on her as he cowered away from her, "You...you stand right where you are. You...you don't come anywhere near me."

"Tobias, please, you mustn't act like this," said Eileen, mildly pleading, "I saved your life by showing you that I was a witch. I love you and I need to know that you're alright."

"No...no I'm not alright. I may never be alright again. You...you better go on home and...and wait for me there. I'll...I'll come back later." said Tobias, and with that, he continued to face Eileen as he began to slowly walk away, keeping his blade on Eileen as he left. He then put the blade back into its sleeve and turned, running off as fast as he could. Eileen watched as Tobias vanished down the street, disappearing into the curtain of fog and falling snow beyond. Eileen brought her hands down to her sides and fell down to her knees as a cold gust of wind blew against her back, blowing her long black hair in the air around her. Eileen began to cry softly, realizing that she had made a horrible mistake by not telling Tobias that she was a witch in the first place. After a few minutes, Eileen went home to where Edward was waiting with Severus, playing with Hansel on the floor. Edward could see that something had happened as Eileen stepped into the house, looking grievingly at him.

"Eileen? What's wrong? Where's Tobias?"

"Edward, forgive me, but you're going to have to leave. Something's come up and I think you shouldn't be here when Tobias returns. You'll have to visit us some other time." said Eileen softly and sadly.

"Did you and Tobias have a falling out or something? What happened?"

"I can't tell you right now. But I have no doubt that you will find out soon enough." said Eileen as she hugged Edward and kissed him on the cheek. She then turned her attention to Severus and picked him up, cradling him in her arms.

After Edward had left, Eileen brought Severus upstairs and placed him in his crib, placing an enchanted saucer-shaped toy with holes in it next to Severus to entertain him with. At the moment Severus touched the object, it instantly began to float up into in the air and then hover at eye level next to him before it started to resonate with soft flute music, glowing a misty blue light as it spun in mid-air. Eileen smiled softly down at Severus, realizing that he had activated the object with his own magical powers, watching him as he began to clap his hands together happily to the music and smile.

Eileen then took Hansel out into the courtyard behind the house and tied him up to his dog house before using her wand to clear off the table in the kitchen. She was preparing herself and the house for what could be a most unpleasant experience when Tobias returned. A couple hours later, Tobias returned, drunk and sobbing. What was meant to be a pleasant and quiet evening with family had turned into a night of arguing and loud yelling. Hansel could hear everything that was happening inside the house and quickly went into his dog house for safety.

The enchanted toy that Severus had been playing with soon stopped and fell back into the crib as Severus stood up in his crib and began crying. Grabbing onto the bars on the side of his crib, Severus could see the shadows of his mother and father back lit on the wall out in the second floor hallway, contorting and moving about in a way that Severus had never seen before. Having never seen his parents argue or fight before, it was hard for Severus to understand what was happening, which made him upset to no end.

From that day forward, the relationship between Eileen and Tobias changed, as did the relationship between Severus and his parents. Not long after finding out that Eileen was a witch, Tobias's business failed and he was forced to sell it to a relative of the Snape family. Tobias now had to teach full time at the local boarding school and was now getting more and more into drinking wine and falling into the occasional drunken stupor. He soon began diving into writing articles and short stories for the local newspaper as well as writing private notes in a small black book that no one, not even Eileen and Severus was allowed to read.

Eileen and Tobias were no longer sleeping in the same room together, which made it ever more clear to Eileen that Tobias was having a hard time coping with the fact that she and their only child was the one thing that Tobias and his family despised the most, so he kept mostly to himself when he was at home. As the years past, Tobias and Eileen continued to maintain a tense and fairly bitter relationship with one another, staying together simply for the sake of needing to raise Severus until he was old enough to fend for himself. Unbeknownst to Eileen and Severus however, Tobias had been in an intimate relationship with two other women ever since Severus was 4 years old.

One of these women was a teacher at the local boarding school that Tobias taught at, a Muggle named Lady Sophia Valantia, who had an estranged squib grandmother and an estranged wizard grandfather. Sophia was teaching at the local boarding school to supplement the meager allowance that she got from her parents since she had yet to marry and have children of her own. Though she was bright and clever, Sophia was without magical powers, which delighted Tobias to no end. Like Eileen, Sophia had black hair and fair skin, but had green eyes, quite beautiful and attractive. Sophia was also half Greek/half French and was from a rich, aristocratic family. Tobias could speak both French and Greek, but Sophia could speak English well enough that speaking either language was unnecessary.

Then, a couple months after meeting Sophia, Tobias's eyes fell upon Josanna Lovegood, a fine and attractive woman with fair skin and long blond-white hair who was married to Narcriesus Lovegood, as Tobias was married to Eileen. Josanna was also a witch and had given birth to Narcriesus's son, Xenophilius, around the same time that Severus was born. Thus Xenophilius and Severus were around the same age at the time Josanna and Tobias had met.

Xenophilius would later marry a witch named Lyla Florin, who in turn gave birth to Xenophilius's daughter, Luna Lovegood. Unbeknownst to either however, Xenophilius would eventually become Severus's half-brother, when Josanna later gave birth to Tobias's illegitimate twins: a boy, Damerius Lovegood-Snape, and a girl, Lorthia Lovegood-Snape. However, Damerius and Lorthia did not go by their biological father's last name, which was why Severus would never know them as his half-brother and half-sister until much later, long after his supposed death in the Boathouse.

Before Josanna gave birth to the twins, Sophia also gave birth to one of Tobias's children, a daughter named Daniela Valantia-Snape, giving Severus a total of 2 half-brothers and 2 half-sisters, including Xenophilius. As was always the case with most of the male descendants of the Snape family, Tobias had passed down his nose to Damerius as well as his clever, keen mind, his eyes and his dark, bedraggled brown hair. Lorthia also inherited Tobias's hair, but also his ears and like her brother, his wit. As for Daniela, she also inherited her father's hair, eyes and keen mind but nothing much else, though you could tell that she was of the Snape lineage. Again, like the twins, Severus would not know of Daniela until sometime after his supposed death.

**EXT. SPINNER'S END (SNAPE'S HOUSE), COKEWORTH, NORTHERN ENGLAND - AFTERNOON (AUG. 15TH, 1971)**

It was thus, that Severus was growing up isolated and lonely, unaware that he was not his father's only child. During Severus's childhood, other members of his family often treated him better than his own parents normally did, namely his mother's parents, Lethbridge and Cathaline Prince, as well as Tobias's brother Edward, who continued to maintain a fairly peaceful relationship with Severus and Eileen long after finding out that they were magic folk. Of course, Eileen treated Severus pretty much the same after Tobias found out and the relationship between Severus and his mother had changed little.

Though now it included fairly rigorous private lessons in magic, which his mother Eileen was now teaching at her older brother Fitzgerald's house and not at home in Cokeworth. It was during these private lessons, between the ages of 6-10, that Severus had learned Occlumancy from his mother, thus, he was a fairly good Occlumens by time he was to go to Hogwarts in 1971. Severus was indeed a quick learner when it came to learning magic, having inherited his father's wit and sharp mind. Soon, the day came when Severus got his letter from Hogwarts and as was normally the case by this time, Eileen and Tobias were arguing about it.

"I will not send him to that place so that he can learn silly magic tricks!" hissed Tobias from his desk chair, "He's going to the _Julian's Boarding School of Art, Music and Business_ in Yorkshire as I did and that's final. It's one of the finest Boarding Schools in England and if we're lucky, Severus will become a proper business man with a proper job and make proper money. He will not go off to some wretched castle in the middle of nowhere and waste his time learning useless magic spells and potions! I absolutely forbid it!"

"I'm afraid you have no say in this, Tobias," hissed Eileen in return, pulling out her wand and pointing it at Tobias, "And if I were you, I would advise that you hold your tongue about Hogwarts in front of me. I will not sit here and listen to you say anything against Hogwarts! Severus is going to one of the finest schools of magic that this world has to offer and he will learn under one of the finest Headmasters that I have had the pleasure to know. If you won't pay for his things for school then I will!"

"Ha! You're little magic stick does not scare me, Eileen. And with what money will you be using to pay for his things, ehe? I will only pay for the things he needs if he goes to the Boarding School that I want him to go to. Otherwise, I will not be paying for it, not any of it!"

As Tobias and Eileen argued, Severus was in the courtyard behind the house looking at his letter from Hogwarts, which had been delivered to him that morning by a small spotted owl. Severus appeared calm and distracted by his parents arguing inside the house, but on the inside he was excited and overjoyed with the fact that he was finally going to Hogwarts and not to the Boarding School that his father wanted him to go to. Lying in his dog house next to Severus, Hansel was busy crewing on an old ham bone that Severus had given him as a treat. Only Hansel was now 8 or 9 years old and was not as active as he usually was, but remained just as lively and curious as Severus knew him as.

Out of all the people and things in Severus's life, Hansel held a special place in Severus's heart that no other person or animal could fill. Many a times, Hansel had kept close company with Severus, watching over him and protecting him when things ever went sour in the house, which was quite often. Hansel was the closest thing to a friend that he had before meeting Lily Evans not to long ago. Lily Evans lived in a house only 3 or 4 blocks over, a fair-skinned, fiery haired girl that was about the same age as Severus and who Severus had met by a large tree in a grassy, open field not to far from his house. It was a beautiful and fairly clean area of land which sat right up against the Cokewell River, which flowed past the town. It had also become a special place where Lily and Severus would visit, play and spend time alone together. Years later, Lily Evans would marry a wizard and fellow schoolmate named James Potter and would later give birth to James's son, Harry Potter. But for the moment, it was only Lily and Severus, both of which were excited about going to Hogwarts.

"There you are. I was wondering if you would be back here away from your parents," said a familiar voice in front of Severus as he read his letter. Severus looked up and saw that it was Lily Evans, carrying a small bag of delicious looking cookies in her hand.

"And how are you today, Hansel? Keeping Severus company are we?" said Lily, turning her attention on Hansel and kneeling down next to him before opening her bag and giving him half a cookie. Hansel ate it up quickly and then licked Lily on the face as she petted him. Severus looked up and smiled, saying nothing before looking back down at his letter again.

Lily then spoke once more, "You don't seem to happy about getting that letter, Severus. What's the matter? Is your father not going to pay for your school supplies?"

Severus looked up at Lily once more and shook his head, remaining silent and acting more distant then he normally did. Then Lily sat down next to Severus and smiled as she continued, "I can ask my father if he is willing to pay for your things. My fathers' always willing to help a wizard or witch in need. He's always so kind and generous and he never really wants or asks of anything in return."

"I wish your father was my father, Lily." said Severus softly, looking over at Lily and smiling, eying the cookies in Lily's hand, "At least he isn't against magic and going to Hogwarts. I hope that Mother can take me to get my things in Diagon Alley, but I don't know what money she can use to buy them."

"I hope your mother can take you to. It will be a shame if you can't go to school on the Hogwarts Express with me. But if there's a will, there's a way." said Lily as she gave Severus a cookie.

"I can only hope so and I really want to go with you...Lily." said Severus as he took the cookie from Lily's hand and stuffed it in his face. Lily began to laugh at the face Severus had made when he had stuffed the whole cookie in his mouth, bulging his cheeks as though he was a selfish squirrel hoarding a mouth full of nuts. At least Lily's presence was brightening up a normally sorrowful situation and it made Severus secretly happy inside for the time being.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 11...**


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11: THE JOURNEY TO HOGWARTS (PART 3)

**EXT. HOGSMEADE STATION – EARLY EVENING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

Upon stepping off the Hogsmeade Express and out onto the old wooden platform at Hogsmeade Station, Albus and those accompanying him beheld the sight of thousands of shinning candle lit lanterns, which floated about and hovered in mid-air above the crowds of students and other wizard folk that were jostling and moving about on the long, narrow platform. The lanterns seemed to be providing the only true source of light in and around the station apart from the loose scattering of candle lit lamp posts which flanked the platform, but despite this, the station appeared brighter and more active then it normally was.

Along the edges of the platform on both ends, small vendors had been set up for those visiting the station, showing off a wide variety of wizard goods, foods and drinks, meant to tempt the students and others alike to buy and delight in the ever growing bounty that surrounded them. Situated near the Black Lake, Hogsmeade Station was actually quite some distance away, about three miles away, from Hogsmeade itself, as well as being on the opposite side of the Hogwarts school grounds. The Hogwarts Express would always stop here after traveling from King's Cross Station as well as stop off at the train stations in the English towns of Manchester, Topplemoor, The Shambles and Nine Mile, among other train stations along the long route between Hogsmeade, Scotland and London, England. However, the Hogsmeade Express rarely ever stopped at Cokeworth unless it was an emergency.

Hogsmeade Sation itself was a small group of rustic looking, weather worn and gray stone buildings which flanked the platform, the largest of these building being a resting place for the conductor of the train. Located not far down from these buildings were the entrance gates to the Hogwarts school grounds, which were located in a clearing within the Dark Forest, where a long dirt path led up to Hogwarts and to the school grounds beyond it. Also at the end of the platform and not too far from the station, there was a small boat dock, where boats would be waiting to carry students across the Black Lake to Hogwarts. Before this time, students could only be transported in a certain way, depending on what year in school they were in.

First-years were often carried in the boats across the Black Lake to Hogwarts, while two-year students or above would be transported to Hogwarts by other means, either by horse-drawn carriage, enchanted carriages (which were pulled by invisible Thestrals) or by walking to Hogwarts under protective escort from the station, since the dirt path skirted the edge of the Black Lake, which was quite large and forbidding. But now students were allowed to come to Hogswarts in any which way they pleased, even on the backs of creatures that were normally not allowed on school grounds, such as domesticated dragons and griffins. But no matter how and in what way, those that were with Albus were excited to be coming back to Hogwarts once again. Though at the moment, Albus was too preoccupied with thinking about the dream he had to fully appreciate and delight in all the sights, smells and sounds that were coming to him from all directions, unlike his siblings James and Lily and his cousins Rose and Hugo. Then Albus heard a familiar voice resonate across the platform, "Alrighty then all you first-yearers, best be comein' this way now."

Albus looked over and saw that it was Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Groundskeeper at Hogwarts. Hagrid was a tall and well-rounded half-giant, with fair skin, long, straggly brown hair and a long, shaggy brown beard. He was also a legend among the Hogwarts faculty and students, being one of only two remaining members of the original school faculty that had taught when Albus's father Harry was at Hogwarts. But unlike during the time when Harry was coming to Hogwarts, Hagrid now had streaks of white running through his hair and beard. Hagrid was now 89 or 90 years old, but even though Hagrid may have been older, Hagrid remained ever pleasant in his ways and was still just as friendly and helpful as he was when Harry was a student at Hogwarts, as well as being widely respected and revered by faculty and students alike.

Hagrid lived in a small hut on school grounds, which Albus would often visit along with friends and family that were also coming to Hogwarts for their first year last year. All throughout Albus's first year, Albus would go to Hagrid for advice as well as some polite company between classes. And as was always the case when students and other wizards and witches came to visit him, Hagrid would offer them tea and crumpets, which Hagrid would make by hand. Overall, Hagrid held a special place in Albus's life that very few could ever truly fill.

"Hello, Hagrid." said Albus happily, walking and looking up at Hagrid.

"Why hello there, young Albus Potter," said Hagrid, looking down at Albus and holding a small lantern in his right hand. "Ready for your second year at Hogwarts? I heard there bein' some new classes for young Albus to be learnin'."

"I know, Hagrid, one of them is Magical Archery and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure if I can get along with the teacher."

"Now how would you be knowin' that, young Albus? No one but the other teachers is supposed to be knowin' who the Magical Archery teacher is until after the Sortin' of the new students."

"I know who the Magical Archery teacher is, Hagrid. I met her on the train...sort of."

"Sor'of? What do you mean by sor'of? If there are any teachers bein' with you on the train, you would be meetin' them like you would be meetin' anyone. Never sor'of."

"It's actually hard to explain, Hagrid, and I don't think that you would really believe me."

"Well, I might you know, you musn't be underestimatin' my ability to be believin' you now. Who bein' this teacher you _sor'of_ met on the train?"

"I would tell you, Hagird, but I'm really not sure that I should at the moment...What is that sound coming from your coat, Hagrid?" said Albus, noticing a soft chirping sound coming from one of Hagrid's pockets inside his long, dusty brown coat.

Hagrid glanced around for a moment then spoke, "Sound? What sound you be hearin', young Albus?"

"Hagrid!" said Albus, noticing that Hagrid was acting as though he was hiding something rather special and forbidden in one of his inside coat pockets. Hagrid sat his lantern down and then began reaching deep into his right pocket. Hagrid soon pulled out a hand full of small black worms that made soft high pitched squeaky sounds as they wiggled about in Hagrid's hand. This caused Albus to make a face of disgust upon seeing them, "Ewe, Hagrid, what are those?"

"They're Burroworms, young Albus. Nasty littl' buggers to. They used to be usin' them as a method of wizard torture a long time ago. Not anymore though, now they just feed little Grisalon here."

"Grisalon?" said Albus as Hagrid picked one of the larger burroworms in his hand and then placed the rest of them back in his pocket. He then opened up the right side of his coat, revealing a little blue dragon chick, chirping and looking out at Hagrid. Hagrid then gave the burroworm to the dragon chick, which gobbled it up quickly.

"Is that...a dragon?" said Albus, looking at the dragon chick hiding in Hagrid's coat.

"Now don't you be yellin' that out aloud now," said Hagrid, looking around him and then back at Albus, "And he's not just bein' any dragon, young Albus. He's a Norwegian Ice Dragon, he is. They're known to bein' rather short tempered if you be makin'um angry and their icy blasts are deadly if you be getin' in their way. Grisalon came into my possession rather suddenly of course, found him while I was walkin' to Hogsmeade this mornin'. The littl' tike's got a broken wing so I'm takin' care of him and keepin' him at the hut...you won't be tellin' anyone now would yeah?" - Hagrid closed up his coat, hiding the little dragon chick once more.

"Of course not, Hagrid, I wouldn't do such a thing," said Albus, smirking as though he was not surprised that Hagrid was once again smuggling creatures that were normally forbidden on school grounds. But even Albus knew that it wouldn't be long before someone at school would notice Hagrid's new pet. "But Hagrid, he's a dragon! It wouldn't be long before someone would notice him. And how do you except to keep him when he gets older and has to stay outside? They'll end up taking him away from you and then you would get into trouble with Professor Titch. I wouldn't want that to happen to you, Hagrid."

But Hagrid wouldn't say any more about it as the whistle on the Hogwarts Express sounded, causing Hagrid to pull out his pocket watch and look at it, "Cor blimey, is that the time? Best be headin' off to lead the first-yearers to the castle, Albus. If you're lookin' for the group that's leadin' the second-yearers, best be gettin' behind the train station and waitin' near the back garden. Morphos Moody will be comin' soon to lead you to the castle."

And with that, Hagrid picked up his lantern and began walking towards the group of first-year students who were waiting for Hagrid at the end of the platform, including Albus's sister Lily and Albus's cousin Hugo. Albus quickly gave his farewells to Hagrid and scurried off towards the back of the train station. Hugo was born in 2008, but since he was due to turn 11 in November, he was allowed to come to Hogwarts in 2018. Albus's older brother James and older sister Rose had gone off to join the group of third-year students for the journey to Hogwarts, thus Albus was taking the journey to Hogwarts with students he did not know very well, apart from a fellow schoolmate and friend of Albus's, named Amelia, who was a small but attractive young girl with long brown hair, hazel-green eyes and fair skin.

**EXT. HOGSMEADE STATION TO HOGWARTS SCHOOL GROUNDS - EARLY EVENING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

Behind the train station, there was a thick fog hanging in the air, partially hiding a long wicker fence covered in dead vines, which surrounded a small back garden behind the largest building of the train station. Walking past the back garden, Albus found his way to a small clearing along the edge of the Dark Forest, where the group of second-year students was waiting for Morphos Moody to show up and lead them to Hogwarts. Within the center of the small clearing, there was a large dead tree with gnarly bare branches, spotted with glowing moss and lichen. By this time, the moon was high in the sky, shining through the heavy fog which blanketed the back garden and through the twisted limbs of the tree. Some of the lanterns that had been hovering above the platform moments before began to slowly float behind the train station and down closer to the ground, flying over the back garden and towards the tree beyond it.

As Albus walked into the clearing, an elaborate blue pattern began to appear and form on the trunk and branches of the dead tree, crawling up the trunk from the ground and up onto the branches until it completely covered it. Even though the tree was dead, an ancient, unknown magic still lived within it, preventing it from ever being destroyed or cut down. Albus walked up to the group and stood next to Amelia as the tree began to glow an even brighter blue hue, though the light was only as bright as the floating lanterns that hovered above it.

"Isn't it beautiful, Albus?" said Amelia, noticing Albus next to her, "It's the Tree of Ancient Memory, the Tree of Auradinthia. It is said to contain the soul of Auradinthia, the first Auror that ever existed. The clearing and the tree showed up rather suddenly sometime during the Summer while we were gone. No one knows where it came from or why it's here. All we do know is that it is a special tree that should be treasured and admired."

"I've heard about this tree from the ancient Hogwarts legends," said Albus, looking up at the tree with curious and gleaming eyes, "But shouldn't it be in the afterlife? Or in an enchanted portrait somewhere?"

"That's what some of the other students said, but it came out of nowhere as if it had been transported from some unseen realm and was placed here. There must be a reason for why it is here, Albus, we just don't know why yet." said Amelia, watching Albus walk up to the tree while the other students in the group kept a safe distance away from it as though mildly frightened by it.

Albus spoke with a smile as he placed his hand on the trunk and touched it, acting as though he wasn't scared at all to, "It feels warm as though it were alive. But I can't be though can it? It looks like it has been dead for centuries." - For a brief moment, Albus noticed what looked like a strange form of writing embedded within the glowing pattern on the tree, running his fingers over it as he continued, "I mean, this tree doesn't actually look alive physically, though it seems like it belongs here somehow...as if it was here for centuries."

"That's because it does _belong_ here and for more reasons that you fail to realize." said a soft, cold voice coming from behind the tree. Albus leaped back from the tree, startled. Suddenly from out of the shadows behind the tree, a glowing lantern held out on the end of a long pole appeared, followed by the young person that held it. It was Cyrus Snape, a person who Albus recognized almost instantly. Cyrus was followed out by his two siblings, Darius and Evangeline, who Albus also recognized. Like Cyrus, they too were also holding lanterns on the end of long poles and were moving them about as if keeping watch for something.

"Forgive us for our sudden and shall I say surprising entrance, but we are here to escort you all to the castle." said Cyrus, looking towards Albus as he spoke.

"What? You three? But you don't look any older then we are. Where's Professor Moody?" said Amelia as Albus kept his eyes fixed on Cyrus and those standing behind Cyrus.

"Do not underestimate our ability to protect you as we escort you to the castle. We are perfectly capable of defending you and everyone in the group from any unseen creatures that might wish to do us harm...and I'm afraid Professor Moody has been detained for the moment, doing a little job for Professor Titch. So we came along to escort you all down the path to the castle." said Cyrus as he pointed his pole in the direction of the castle. "This way, please..."

"But shouldn't we wait for another teacher to come and escort us or something?" said another student in the group.

"I'm afraid that no other teachers are coming to escort you at this time. Come along now...this way or we'll be late." said Evangeline coolly. And with that, Evangline took the lead and started her way towards the entrance gates to the Hogwarts school grounds, though the group was hesitant to follow three strange children around, Albus, who was overly curious, didn't seem too keen in staying with the group and courageously walked forward, following the three children into the Dark Forest. Seeing that Albus had placed his trust and confidence in the three strange children, Amelia soon followed, then the rest of the group soon after.

A few minutes later, Albus, Amelia and the rest of the group found themselves at the entrance gates to the Hogwarts school grounds, guided by Cyrus and his siblings walking up in front of them. Excited, overly curious and wanting to talk to Cyrus and his two siblings, Albus ran up alongside the trio and spoke, "It's you three, Cyrus, Evangline and Darius. I can't believe you three are actually here. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Evangeline, who was walking side by side with Cyrus and Darius, looked around Cyrus at Albus as she continued to hold her lantern out in front with the others, speaking coolly towards Albus, "And how do you know _our_ names? We didn't tell you who we were back there." - Evangeline looked forward again.

Albus opened his mouth, but closed it again as Cyrus spoke coolly towards Evangeline, "I don't know how this student knows of us, Evangeline. Unless Darius told him who we were."

"Hey, I said nothing." said Darius, protesting calmly.

"But I know who your parents are!" said Albus excitedly as he continued to flank the trio, flanking them from the left side of Cyrus, "I had a dream about them and you three were in it. I told my brother James about the dream, but he doesn't seem to want to believe me. He thinks I've gone mental."

"Listen, whoever you are, I don't know how you know our names, but I can assure you that we've never seen or heard the likes of you before." hissed Cyrus as he continued to walk forward with his lantern in front of him. "And whatever this dream is you speak of, we had nothing to do with it. So if you don't mind, we'd like you to get behind us and stay with the rest of the group...thank you."

With his eyes gleaming with both curiosity and puzzlement, Albus stepped back behind the trio and stood closer to Amelia. It was obvious to Albus that these three children were the same three children that he saw in his dream earlier, but were clearly denying any involvement in the matter. After walking through the first entrance gate, the trio began to slow there pace, keeping closer to the group following behind them. The first few minutes were generally uneventful for the group and their appointed escorts, than a distant and lengthy howl was heard some distance behind the group, causing the group to stop and listen. Some of the group turned around to look, soon realizing that a heavy fog was covering over the path they had just walked over. It was certainly starting to feel and sound ominous in that place as the trio swung there lanterns around.

Cyrus soon spoke, "Keep moving, all of you. Not unless you want to be eaten by werewolves or some other foul creature of the night."

"What is that, Cyrus? That doesn't sound like any wolf I've ever heard." said Albus suddenly, alarmed by what he was hearing.

"You do not want to know nor do you want to see it...Keep calm and look sharp. Now move along now, all of you." said Cyrus nonchalantly as he turned back around with his siblings and with their lanterns. Amelia quickly came up next to Albus and grabbed on his arm, holding him close to her as she looked around nervously. The group started to huddle close to one another, trying to keep calm as they walked on down the dirt path to Hogwarts. They soon realized that the howl was following them, not to closely but also not too far away. A subtle look of fear and anxiety was starting to form on the faces of Cyrus, Evangeline and Darius as they continued to look forward.

Darius soon whispered, mildly concerned, "Where's Mum and Dad? There's supposed to be flanking us along the edge of the tree line. Do they not know that something is following us?"

"I think Mum and Dad already know what's following us," whispered Cyrus in return. "But Mum and Dad will protect us if anything happens to us. But even still, we're more than capable of protecting ourselves and those with us, even if Mum and Dad weren't here. Otherwise Mum and Dad wouldn't have told us to kidnap the entire group of second-year students and escort them to Hogwarts."

"But the group doesn't know that they've been kidnapped, Cyrus," whispered Darius, who was starting to feel secretly uneasy and alarmed. "We only kidnapped them so that we could get Albus away from them when we got up to the castle and all because we couldn't kidnap just Albus as it might rouse some suspicions."

"Enough out of you, Darius!" said Evangeline in a mildly agitated whisper, "And besides, it's obvious that something is following us and means to do us harm. Mum and Dad should have followed us behind the group. For all we know, the group might be in terrible danger."

"I wish Mum and Dad were here right now." whispered Darius.

"They're nearby, Darius. Come along." whispered Cyrus.

After walking over a long bridge to the other side of the Black Lake, the group of second-year students soon found themselves within the shadows of Hogwarts Castle. They could see the last entrance gate out in front of them before reaching the main entrance to Hogwarts. Then, as they approached the last entrance gate, a long howl was heard once more, followed by a distant rumbling, which began to grow louder and louder as it got closer and closer to the group. Cyrus and his siblings suddenly turned around, realizing that what was running towards the group was set on causing trouble for them and the group itself.

Darius then spoke when a loud roar suddenly resonated through the air, "No, that can't be who I think it is, Cyrus."

"Oh no, Cyrus. We thought that he was dead! Don't tell me that we just lured him here, did we?" said Evangeline, grabbing onto Cyrus's arm and tugging on it.

"And here we were thinking that he was dead...RUN!" cried Cyrus towards o the group.

Cyrus didn't have to say it twice. The group of students, which was already tensed and frightened, quickly turned and began to run away as fast as they could, panicking and screaming in terror as they ran. Cyrus and his siblings quickly ran towards the direction of the rumbling and roaring, their wands drawn and ready to strike down what was barreling towards them and the group. It only took moments when a figure broke through the veil of thick fog and skidded to a stop in front of Cyrus and his siblings and roared, gaping its mouth.

"Hello, Mortisursal. Find any Once-Deads to chase and torment lately?" said Cyrus mischievously, looking up at the creature before him. Standing before Cyrus and his siblings was a massive beast named Mortisursal, about the size of an elephant, covered in thick white fur and looking like something crossed between a polar bear and a wolf. It had large paws and long sharp claws, as well as a large, drooling, gaping maw of sharp, serrated teeth.

It was then that a great battle between the trio and Mortisursal soon commenced as Cyrus and his siblings began to use their wands, sending spell after spell towards Mortisursal in order to try and slow or stop his relentless pursuit of the fleeing group of students. But Mortisursal was persistent, keeping close pace with the fleeing group as the trio followed close behind him through apparating and disapparating over and over again, attacking him with every defensive spell they could muster.

At one point, Cyrus used the _Iactum Rivus Aqua _spell to create a massive stream of water from the nearby river and cast it towards Mortisursal, knocking him over hard. Mortisursal soon stood up again and roared at Cyrus disagreeably, facing Cyrus and batting at him with his paws. Darius then used the _Lumos Deflectio_ spell on the beast to knock Mortisursal back, but with only minor effect. Albus then stopped and stood, watching as this went on for at least two minutes, until a pair of large black wolves appeared, running side by side onto the scene from out of the heavy fog.

These wolves soon jumped onto Mortisursal, growling, snarling, snapping, biting and clawing at him furiously. For a moment, Albus looked away to see where his friend Amelia had gone to. He then looked back, only to see that Cyrus and his siblings had vanished. Seconds later, three smaller black wolves appeared out of nowhere and leaped onto Mortisursal, snapping, biting and clawing. After a few moments of this, Mortisursal pulled off one of the smaller black wolves and threw them to the ground.

The fallen black wolf whimpered and struggled back onto its feet as Mortisursal loomed over the top of it, about to place his jaws down upon it. The fallen black wolf then transformed before Albus's eyes, suddenly revealing Darius, who quickly pulled out a wand, aimed it towards the tree line and cried, "_Munio Arboris_!"

Suddenly, a large tree branch slammed down on Mortisursal from above, almost hitting the two larger black wolves as they jumped off Mortisursal's back. One of the larger trees nearby had come alive and was now beating Mortisursal down to the ground, with Mortisursal roaring and hissing disagreeably. Darius quickly transformed once more, becoming a smaller black wolf again. It was at this moment that Albus realized that Cyrus and his siblings were in fact Animagus, a rare and difficult magical ability which allows wizards and witches to change into different creatures at will. Though Albus was surprised by the sight of this, he was too busy thinking about the massive creature, namely Mortisursal, that was trying hard to get to the group of students.

Unable to stand and watch any longer, Albus cried out to the students behind him and said, "What's the matter with all of you? Help them!"

And with that, Albus drew out his wand and ran back towards the battle. Having been warned by some fleeing students as to what was happening outside on the school grounds, it didn't take long for some of the Hogwarts teachers to come out and join in on the fight, followed by some willing and brave students, sending spell after spell towards Mortisursal. Noticing that the students and teachers had everything under control, the two larger black wolves vanished into the underbrush along with the three smaller black wolves, hiding out on the forest edge and watching until everything had settled down.

With lots of students and teachers involved in the fight and casting spells at him, along with the tree bashing him around, Mortisursal soon realized that he had had enough and quickly found his escape, turning and running in the opposite direction down the path, hissing and roaring as he left.

Once Mortisursal had vanished back into the fog, the tree that had been beating him around quickly went back to its original state, while the students and the teachers with them began to cheer in celebration, surrounding Albus and chanting his name. Albus was getting praises for defeating Mortisursal, though Albus knew that the real heroes of the fight were Cyrus and his siblings. As students and a teacher patted Albus on the back and praised him, Albus began looking around for Cyrus and his siblings, unaware that they had already left the scene and were now waiting for him inside the school.

Suddenly, an angered Professor Gregus Groset, the head of Slytherin House, broke through the group of students ad teachers and demanded to know why the students were there without Morphos Moody. Albus tried to explain to Professor Groset as to how and why they were there, but instead of listening to Albus, Professor Groset pointed to the door to Hogwarts and ordered Albus to go to the Headmaster's Office and explain it to Professor Titch. Doing as he was told, Albus quickly found his way into the school and went down the corridor towards Professor Titch's office.

**CONTINUED…CHAPTER 12…**


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12: MAPHERIA'S CHASE (PART 1)

**EXT. TO INT. GRISPELL'S CURIOS SHOP, KNOCKTURN ALLEY - EARLY EVENING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

Ever since his friend Torvellos was killed by Lady Mapheria in the Dark Forest 22 years ago, Grispell was trying to avoid his former mistress and his supposed fate as much as possible. For the past 22 years, he was living in fear that his former mistress would come back and reclaim him. And just as Mapheria had predicted many years before, Grispell was still running the curios shop that he and Torvellos once shared, only it had be moved to a spot hidden from the ever watchful eyes of Mapheria and her followers. Grispell was an Animagus and a Death Eater that was once loyal to Mapheria and who had been punished by Lady Mapheria after he was caught spying for the Ministry Of Magic.

For this reason, Grispell was cursed with being stuck in a hybrid Animagus form between human and two animal forms, looking like something crossed between a black cat and a spider monkey, but with the pale face of a human being and small pointed ears and large innocent looking eyes. He had long bony limbs, a long whip-like tail and small sunken hands with sharp pointed fingernails. Though Grispell was now 22 years older, he still dreamed of the day when he could become human again and with any luck, he would find a wife and settle down. He was sharing and running his curios shop with the help of a young wizard couple and their House-Elf, Mogwoe. Though House-Elf enslavement had ended for the most part a few years back, there were still some House-Elves who preferred to remain under the thumb of their owners, simply because their owners treat them well or because they have nowhere else to go.

In the curios shop, Grispell was sitting on his haunches on the front counter, holding a narrow pointed quill pen with his tail and writing with it in an old leather book. Then Mogwoe, a swat, little House-Elf with long limbs, a large head, large pointed ears, large yellow eyes and a light complexion, walked out of the back room and jumped up onto the counter. Mogwoe was wearing torn grey-green rags and a small, torn hooded cloak, covering his body all the way to his knobby knees.

Mogwoe then spoke with a low, rasping voice, "Master Grispell, my master and mistress have informed me that it is time to close up the shop for the night. May I have the keys to the shop so that I may lock the door?"

"Very well, Mogwoe," said Grispell in a soft, nervous voice, "You may lock the door and go home."

And with that, Mogwoe jumped down from the front counter and opened up a drawer to fetch the keys. Grispell then watched as Mogwoe dragged a chair along with him and braced it up against the front door, jumping up on it and turning to lock the door. After locking the door, Mogwoe jumped down from the chair and pushed it over to the side so it wouldn't be in the way. Mogwoe spoke once more as he came back to the front counter with the keys, "Mogwoe likes helping his master and mistress and master Grispell to take care of the shop. Mogwoe likes nothing more to do but to guard the shop when master Grispell is away. But Mogwoe worries about master Grispell and hopes that master Grispell may one day become human again."

"I can only hope for that, Mogwoe. But I know it may never happen, for only Lady Mapheria can make me human again and Lady Mapheria wishes nothing more than to kill me." said Grispell as he used his long tail to take the keys back from Mogwoe. He then used his tail to open the drawer and placed the keys back into it, closing it with his tail after.

"Mogwoe has heard stories about master Grispell's old mistress. Mogwoe will protect master Grispell from his old mistress if master Grispell wishes. Does master Grispell wish for Mogwoe to stay and guard the shop tonight?"

"Thank you, but not tonight, Mogwoe. I'm going to be here rather late tonight, so your presence here is not needed. You may go home with your master and mistress."

"Thank you, master Grispell. Mogwoe will go home with his master and mistress. Mogwoe must catch up with his master and mistress before they stray too far."

And with that, Mogwoe ran off towards the back room and disappeared. A few minutes later, while Grispell was writing in his book, he suddenly heard a soft, ominous tapping on the front window of his shop. Grispell looked up from his book, only to see that it was the one person he did not want to see, his former mistress, Lady Mapheria, looking in and smiling at him mischievously. Only this time, she was wearing a long and flowing black hooded cloak which hid underneath it long and flowing black robes.

She appeared to Grispell just as he remembered her, a pale, beautiful but sinister looking woman with long dark brown hair and sinister, cold black eyes. And as Grispell remembered, she wore the same glittering sliver strings of tiny sliver bells on her robes which jingled softly and ominously whenever she moved around, along with the string of tiny sliver bells she wore in her hair, which jingled as she moved her head. Hearing those tiny sliver bells jingling once more was like listening to the bells of death for Grispell. Upon seeing Mapheria again, Grispell shrieked and ducked under the front counter in terror, shaking with fear and breathing heavily. After a few tense moments, Grispell brought up the nerve to look around the edge of the front counter, only to see Mapheria transform herself into a cloud of black smoke, which then floated through the closed and locked door and into the shop before transforming into herself once more. Mapheria then pulled out her wand and walked up towards the front counter.

"Grispell, oh Grispell," said a cold, elegant and familiar voice. Grispell whimpered quietly in horror and looked away again, once again cowering and crawling further underneath the front counter in terror. Mapheria spoke as she approached the front counter, aware that Grispell was hiding underneath it, "22 years it's been for you, Grispell. And yet, Grispell fails to realize that he can never escape his past. At least, not while I am here." - Mapheria then began tapping her fingers on the top of the front counter as she flanked along the edge of it.

She then slammed her fist on the counter over Grispell's head, causing him to screech and jump out from underneath it. Realizing that he was cornered, Grispell quickly panicked and tried climbing out of Mapheria's reach, but Mapheria swiftly used her wand to pull Grispell off the wall before she slammed him down to the ground hard with it, with Grispell lying face first at her feet. She then came up over the top of him and pinned him to the ground with her foot.

"Grispell, Grispell, Grispell. You should know better than to try and escape me _that_ way. I am still your mistress whether or not you think or wish it so and I am the only one who can turn you back into a human again. You're time has come, my old pet, your fate becomes clear."

"Why must you continue to torture me, mistress?" squeaked Grispell nervously, pinned to the floor.

"Because, Grispell, it is your fate and it must be fulfilled." said Mapheria as she slowly began to raise her wand with her right hand, pointing it towards Grispell. Suddenly, Mogwoe leaped out of nowhere and landed on Mapheria's back, brandishing a small dagger. Without hesitation, Mogwoe stabbed Mapheria in the right shoulder with it, causing Mapheria to drop her wand. Mapheria soon began to yell and cry out in pain, taking her foot off of Grispell. Leaving the dagger in Mapheria's shoulder, Mogwoe soon leapt down off of Mapheria and landed on the ground next to Grispell, grabbing up Mapheria's wand and stuffing it into his waist band. Mogwoe then helped Grispell onto his feet and quickly led him to the back room and out the back door, leaving Mapheria to flail about and screech in pain. Seeing Grispell and Mogwoe escape, Mapheria soon calmed down and laughed sinisterly briefly as she reached back with her left hand and grabbed the dagger in her right shoulder, flinching slightly as her face contorted in pain, breathing sharply as she pulled it out. She quickly wrapped the small bloodied dagger in a piece of cloth and stuffed it into their waist band before running after Grispell and Mogwoe. She clearly didn't want to leave any trace of herself there.

**EXT. GRISPELL'S CURIOS SHOP, KNOCKTURN ALLEY TO DIAGON ALLEY - EARLY EVENING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

Once outside the shop, Grispell and Mogwoe began running through Knockturn Alley, running past dark wizards, dark witches and dark creatures alike. Running out into Diagon Alley, they began looking around for a place to hide within the rapidly thinning crowds of wizards and witches around them. Moments later, Mapheria appeared out of Knockturn Alley, holding her right arm and looking around for Grispell and Mogwoe. Irritated and realizing that she couldn't see where Grispell and Mogwoe had gone through the crowds of wizards and witches around her, she quickly pulled out from underneath her robes what looked like a sliver dog whistle that was around her neck.

"I will make short work of _this_." hissed Mapheria as she brought the whistle up to her mouth and blew it.

But this was a special, enchanted whistle, which affected everyone and everything around Mapheria with debilitating sound waves, causing every wizard or witch around her to put their hands up to their ears and fall to the ground in agony, shrieking and crying out in pain. With everyone and everything incapacitated around her, Mapheria soon stopped blowing the whistle and ran off towards another nearby alley, having spotted Grispell and Mogwoe entering it. After Mapheria entered the alley, everyone went silent and suddenly stood up straight again, seemingly unphased and forgetting the ordeal, going back to normal.

**AN ALLEY, DIAGON ALLEY - EARLY EVENING (SEPT. 1, 2018)**

Standing within the seemingly unnamed and deserted dark alley, Mapheria tried her best to bandage herself up with her scarf while keeping her ears and eyes open for Grispell and Mogwoe. The alley itself was long and narrow, flanked with wet, torn boxes, crumpled parchment, broken glass and scattered debris.

"Grispell," said Mapheria calmly and ominously, her voice resonating off the walls of the alley as she cautiously and slowly walked down it past some old and broken barrels, "I know you and your friend are down here. Come out and face me."

Mapheria soon spotted a long bamboo stick poking out the top of a nearby trash can and grabbed it, holding it in her left hand as she continued, "I know what you want, Grispell. I know what you desire."

Just then, an angry black cat jumped down from a window sill, nearly landing on Mapheria. Mapheria swung her bamboo stick, nearly hitting the cat as it hissed and ran off down the alley. Mapheria quickly turned back around and shifted her eyes, holding the bamboo stick out in front of her.

Mapheria continued, unaware that Grispell was hiding in one of the barrels she had just passed, watching her through a peep hole in the barrel and looking at her, "You want to be human again, don't you Grispell? I can make you human again you know and I'm the only one who can. All you need to do is show yourself and give me back my wand. That is what you wanted, wasn't it? You could call it perhaps, a very early Christmas present...Come out Grispell and let me see you."

Suddenly, Mogwoe came barreling down upon Mapheria from above, causing her to drop the bamboo stick while Mogwoe held a piece of broken glass. But before Mogwoe could use it on Mapheria, a man cried "_Immobulus_!", sending a blast of white light which came out of nowhere and hit Mogwoe, causing Mogwoe to fall to the ground, out cold. Mapheria looked up and saw that it was Crielis, her fair-skinned and loyal companion, who had stopped Mogwoe from further injuring her.

"Crielis, my old friend. I knew I could rely on you." said Mapheria as Crielis walked up and stood next to her, hiding his wand away back in his coat.

Mapheria then focused her attention back on Mogwoe, "And now, it's time I punished this creature from injuring me. No one harms me without getting burned!"

Mapheria quickly retrieved her wand from an unconscious Mogwoe and was about to use it on him, until Grispell cried out, "No, my Lady! Please don't hurt him!"

Unable to hide any longer, Grispell leaped out of the barrel he was hiding in. He soon walked towards Mapheria, looking up at her and cowering on all fours at Mapheria's feet near Mogwoe, "Mogwoe is my friend. Please show him pity if not mercy. He was only trying to protect me. I will do anything you say, my Lady. Just don't hurt him!"

"Pity? Mercy? Such words are alien to me." said Mapheria calmly and coolly, bringing her wand down to her side, "And you, Grispell. You dare run away from me, after all that I've done for you?"

Grispell, as he squeaked nervously once more, "Forgive me, my Lady, but you were going to kill me. I had to run away on that day you killed my friend Torvellos. And you will still kill me in the end."

"You dare speak that name in front of my Lady? You traitor!" hissed Crielis, about to pull out his wand once more and curse Grispell, but Mapheria stopped him.

"Calm yourself, Crielis. Grispell is my problem, not yours."

"What are you going to do to me, my Lady? Please don't kill me!" pleaded Grispell.

"Kill you, Grispell? No..." said Mapheria as she hid her wand away and then bent down and grabbed up Grispell with her still good arm, bringing him up to eye level. "There are far worse things than death that I can do to you..."

Grispell gulped, bringing his hands up to his mouth and shaking his head, staring on fearfully as Mapheria smiled wickedly at him.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, HEADMASTER'S OFFICE - EARLY EVENING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

"This is a most fascinating story, Albus," said Professor Titch, sitting in his chair behind his desk, "And you say that the new Magical Archery teacher is Professor Snape's wife and that their children are here at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, sir. It's all true, every word of it. The dream, the children...the creature..." said Albus, standing in front of Titch's desk.

"And you say that these children have Animagus abilities? Well, I've heard of older wizards and witches having such abilities, namely your father's godfather, Sirius, but never children. And you aren't born Animagus, Albus, you learn it. And furthermore, _that_ kind of magic is far to advanced for such young wizards and witches to maintain."

"But you remember, sir. I told you that they had private lessons in magic before they came here. They might have learned the ability then."

Titch began to chuckle softly in mild disbelief, "Albus, Albus, Albus. Children with magical abilities are not allowed to learn magic outside these walls. And besides, _this_ sort of thing has happened before within these walls and upon these grounds. A student claiming to have seen Severus Snape alive and well, only to find out that it was all merely a lie just so they could gain attention. I'm sorry, Albus, but without any hard proof to back up your claim, few others will believe your story."

"But, sir, I'm not...!"

Titch raised his hand, stopping Albus in mid-sentence before bringing it down again, "That will be all for now, Albus. It is time that you joined the other students in the Great Hall. If you get there quickly, you will not miss the Sorting of your sister Lily and your cousin Hugo. Run along now."

Put out and agitated, Albus did what he was told and left the Headmaster's office, walking towards the Great Hall.

**INT. A CORRIDOR TO THE GREAT HALL, HOGWARTS CASTLE - EVENING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

A couple minutes later, as Albus turned a corner and walked down a corridor towards the Gryffindor Common Rooms, he was once again stopped by Cyrus, who appeared out of nowhere.

"There you are, young master Albus," said Cyrus coolly, "I was wondering if Professor Groset had told you to go to the Headmaster's office. And it's a shame that no one believes your story, but it is for the best I think."

"And _where_ were you, Cyrus? And why are you calling me _young master_?" hissed Albus angrily as he continued to walk down the corridor, flanked by Cyrus walking next to him, "You vanished into the underbrush without any explanation as to who or what that creature was or why you lied to me by saying that Professor Moody had a job to do for Professor Titch and couldn't escort us to the castle. I looked like a fool back there! And how is it that you, your brother and your sister have Animagus abilities? Professor Titch says that you shouldn't be able to do that at your age!"

"Oh, you saw that did you? Well, you would have found out sooner or later. Forgive me and my siblings if we caused you any embarrassment, but me and my siblings were simply doing what Father asked of us. And me and my siblings learned our Animagus powers from Father. He taught us here within these walls and upon these school grounds. Mother and Father didn't break any rules by teaching us magic, Albus. They simply bent the rules a little. And as for calling you _young master_, it's a_ respect_ thing, since your father is so infamous."

"Where is your father, Cyrus? I want to see him!"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Albus," said Cyrus icily, "It is too soon for you to see Father. And besides, you see him all the time in the portraits. And I know he's going to be in the Great Hall today...at least, in a matter of speaking."

"But _I_ want to see him! My father would want to see him! And why didn't your father tell me who he was back in Diagon Alley, instead of waiting until we got on the train? And why through a dream? And what is this book that Treevole was supposed to have given me back at my house earlier?"

"Oh, you mean _this_ book?" said Cyrus as he pulled out a book from underneath his robes and handed it to Albus. It looked like a normal, average sized book with a black leather front and back cover, only it has a small sliver hinge with a keyhole in it like a diary would have. It also had an elaborate glittering sliver pattern on both the front and back covers, like that of elegant sliver wisps.

Albus glared at the book in mild awe, brimming with curiosity as he spoke, "What's in it?"

"Open it," said Cyrus in a calm, nonchalant manner.

"How? it has a hinge on it and it's locked."

"Look on the spine of the book, Albus. Notice anything interesting about it?"

Albus directed his attention to the spine of the book and soon noticed something odd about it. There appeared to be a tiny door near the bottom of the spine. But when Albus tried to open it, it wouldn't. Albus then started to bring out his wand, thinking that the _Aloha Mora_ spell could help him open up the little door.

But Cyrus stopped Albus, than shook his head briefly, "You don't open it _that_ way, Albus. Run your finger down the spine and see what happens. From the top to the bottom if you please."

Scoffing quietly then doing what Cyrus said, Albus used his middle and index finger and ran them down the spine of the book. As he did this, the sliver pattern on the book lit up briefly before the little door in the spine came open on its own. Albus then looked in the space behind the little door and pulled out a small sliver key dangling from a fine glittering sliver chain.

Cyrus then clapped sarcastically and smiled, "Very good, young master Albus, by doing that you have set the locking spell on it. It will open only for you now."

Without further hesitation, Albus placed the small key into the little keyhole on the hinge and turned it. In an instant, the book flew open in Albus's hands and began turning its pages quickly on its own until reaching the last page in the book, which appeared to be blank. Albus then noticed some words suddenly appear upon the page as if bleeding onto it, written in elegant script. Albus read the words as followed:

_"This is the property of the Half-Blood Prince. If you are reading this, then the book has gotten to the person it was meant to be given to. Listen carefully and pay attention. Rule 1: Under no circumstances are you to show the contents of this book to anyone or anything, not even to your friends or family (except in emergencies when another set of eyes is needed to read it). Rule 2: Guard this book and keep it well and make sure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands or even a fellow student's or teacher's hands. Rule 3: Following Rule 2, if you wish not to carry this book around with you, store it someplace secret that no one knows about to ensure that it is never found or stolen. Rule 4: The previous owner of this book (or rather the knowledge in it) is entrusting you with the knowledge that is found within this book, in hopes that you will use it responsibly and not neglectfully. Rule 5: Keep the knowledge in this book close to you, for one day it may save your life._

_"If you abide by all the rules listed above, no punishment will be dealt against you. But if any of the rules are broken once, you will be given one firm warning. But if the rules are broken twice, the book will immediately catch fire and disintegrate, leaving no trace of itself and no further trust in the holder. The previous owner of this book is counting on you to use the help given to you and learn from it all that you can. With this book you must learn and understand so that in the end, you will know the purpose and reason as to why you have been given this book. Sincerely, The Half-Blood Prince..."_

The words then faded and vanished from the blank page as Albus suddenly got excited, "This is Professor Snape's old potions book! Your father's old potions book! Why on Earth would he ever want to give _this_ book to me?"

"And what makes you think that, young master Albus?" said Cyrus with a mischievous smile, "It is _The Half-Blood Prince's_ book..."

"I know who _The Half-Blood Prince_ is, Cyrus. My father told me about your father and how he once use to call himself _The Half-Blood Prince_. But how can this book be here now? Dad told me that he and Mum hid it in the Room of Requirement long ago and that it was destroyed by fiendfire."

"That is only half true, Albus. It is true that your mother and father hid the book in the Room Of Requirement, but were unaware that they were being followed by my mum there. She knew where your mum had hidden the book and removed it sometime before fiendfire destroyed the room. But you only have a copy of the original potions book since your father has the original."

"My father? How?"

"My mum gave the book to your father one day when he was at the castle. Father actually left the original potions book to your father in his last will and testament. But I don't think your father knows that it's my father's old potions book. He just knows that it is a book that was left to him by my father."

"I've heard about this book," said Albus excitedly, "Dad used it a few times while he was in school here. He said it helped him a lot in potions class and made him the top of his class."

Indeed, Albus...unintentionally of course. But that is not the reason why my father has given it to you." said Cyrus icily, "He wants you to use it responsibly and not neglectfully like your father did and go by what the rules in the book say."

"But why has your father given it to me?" asked Albus as he and Cyrus reached the door at the end of the corridor. "You said that there was another reason why he's given me this book and not just so that I can learn from it. What is it, Cyrus?"

"I'm afraid _that_ is something that you must figure out yourself, Albus. All the clues are there in that book to be used at your disposal. All you need to do is learn and understand them." said Cyrus as he opened the door, "This is where we leave you, Albus...for now. Me and my siblings have our own way around this castle and I'm afraid that you can't use it...yet."

"But that's not fair, Cyrus!" protested Albus, "Why can I not see your father? I've heard so many stories had have so many questions. I want to know!"

"All in good time, young master Albus. But for now, I will leave you here with a warning. If you tell anyone about that book or about Father being alive, either me or my Father will personally tie you up to the Whomping Willow and leave you to its gracious mercy." - Cyrus then grinned evilly, then stepped halfway through the doorway before stopping and looking back around the door at Albus, speaking once more as Albus stood silent and glaring, "And one more thing. If you happen to lose your way or get stuck on something, you can always go to the school library to help you find your way back...good night."

And with that, Cyrus grinned wickedly at Albus before vanishing behind the door and closing it behind him with a thud. Albus then tried to open the door, but discovered that it had been locked tight from the inside. More confused and curious than ever, Albus stuffed the book underneath his robes and ran off towards the Great Hall and the sorting of the new students.

**EXT. COKEWORTH, SPINNER'S END - AFTERNOON (DEC. 24TH, 1967)**

Another Christmas Eve had come to Cokeworth and for many children in the town, it was a time of happiness and joy. But for young Severus Snape, who was now 7 years old, it was a time of bitter memories, mental anguish and sadness. Christmas had never been a pleasant time for Snape, even when his mother Eileen would try to make it a happy occasion for him. But every time Christmas would come along, Tobias would blame Eileen as the reason why the family would no longer come over to visit on Christmas and in turn, a huge argument between Eileen and Tobias would break out, causing Severus to run off and hide somewhere out of sight. Of course, Eileen always knew of the one place where Severus would run off to and hide and would always go there and find him afterward.

When he was much smaller, Severus would always climb into Hansel's dog house to hide away from the mental and verbal anguish that his parents brought about when fighting inside the house. Of course, as he got older, Severus was forced to cower in the corner and watch his parents fight, sitting with his knees up to his chest. Inside Hansel's dog house and curled up in a ball next to Hansel, Severus was crying and sniffling, scared and trembling in fear of what his father would do to him and his mother Eileen. And as Eileen had suspected, she would find Severus hiding in Hansel's dog house along with Hansel, who was lying next to Severus and panting.

"Severus, my dear," said Eileen softly, bending down and looking into the dog house at Severus though its opening, "Come out of there. There is only enough room for Hansel in there."

"I hate Christmas and I hate magic!" said Severus with tears welled up in his eyes, his voice cracking, "I wish I was never born as a freak! Why must you and Father always fight like this? I wish that Father would just go away and leave us alone!"

"I know that you don't like it when me and your Father argue, my dear. But that is all a part of being married to someone who is against wizards and magic. And you are not a freak, my dear, you must never think or say that. It is in your blood, just as it is in mine." said Eileen, "You mustn't be ashamed of who and what you are, my son. And with the powers that you are blessed with, you are destined to do great and wonderful things in the Wizarding world. You were born as a wizard, my dear, and you will die as one."

"I feel so small and helpless, Mum." cried Severus, who was still rolled up in a ball next to Hansel. "I don't know what to do or how to stop you and Father from fighting! I don't want you and Father to fight! I want to make you proud of me and I want Father to be proud of me!"

"I'm already proud of you, my dear, I've always been proud of you," said Eileen softly, kneeling down in front of the dog house, "But I think it is time that I taught you something that I should have taught you a long time ago. With these powers, you will learn to discipline your mind, shielding your mind from all outside mental anguish and torment as well as guard you against all mental attacks and influences. Though it will take time for you to learn and master it properly, once I have taught it to you, you will be able to learn and understand the secrets and ways of suppressing and controlling your emotions. This will be my true gift to you this Christmas."

And with that, Severus brought his head up and looked up at his mother through the entrance to the dog house and smiled tearfully. Eileen then smiled and stretched her arms towards Severus, who slowly crawled out of Hansel's dog house and then crawled into his Mother's arms. Eileen wrapped her arms around Severus and held him close to her, kissing him on the head and crying softly with him.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 13...**


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13: SEVERUS GETS HIS WAND

**EXT. DIAGON ALLEY, LONDON, ENGLAND – MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 1971)**

As was suspected by Severus and his mother, Tobias continued to protest and refused to buy Severus's things for school or to have anything to do with the matter. Realizing that Tobias would not help her, Eileen soon brought her son to Diagon Alley, where they would meet up with Severus's youngest aunt, Adelaide. Adelaide Prince nee Potter, James Potter's (Harry's father's) youngest aunt, was both Eileen's cousin-in-law and sister-in-law due to having married Nathalius Prince, Eileen's cousin and brother-in-law. Eveline Rosill, Severus's Squib grandmother and Tobias's and Edward's biological mother, divorced Tobias's father Edmund when Tobias was only 5 years old and went on to marry Vincent Prince, Eileen's uncle. Edmund went on to marry Irene Wilfe, a Muggle, Tobias and his brother Edward's stepmother and Darline and Christine's (Tobias and Edward's younger sisters and younger brother Jered's) biological mother. Eveline and Vincent then had son, Nathalius, and a daughter, Daphiline. Nathalius in turn, married Adelaide, who they in turn would have three children: Jack, Janine and Joseph.

Nathalius and Adelaide went to Hogwarts School together and were 11 years younger than Tobias. Of course, Severus would not discover that his Aunt Adelaide was of the Potter Family or that he was James Potter's cousin until just before his supposed death.

"Professor Armando Reginald Dippit?" said Severus, flanking his Mother Eileen down Diagon Alley and looking up at her, going past shop after shop of wizard wears, herbs, cauldrons and other magical items.

"Yes, my dear. He was the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the Headmaster that I learned under. As did your Aunt Adelaide and your Uncle Nathalius did," said Eileen, keeping her eyes forward as she walked, "He was a kind and wise old gentleman that would give you advice and guidance now and again. But he retired around 15 years ago and it is a shame that you couldn't get to know him. But hopefully your Aunt Adelaide will be here to meet with us."

"Whatever for?" asked Severus, mildly puzzled. "Are you expecting Aunt Adelaide to meet us here?"

"Of course, my dear, she always comes here around this time to help your cousins and other members of the Prince family to get their things for school. Not everyone of the Prince family are so blessed with money like most of the Prince family are. And your Aunt Adelaide married well. Do you find it strange that your father's Squib mother married my wealthy Wizard uncle, my dear?"

"It's beyond strange, mum. It's mental! I mean, wouldn't we worry about breeding to much within the Prince and Snape families? Or is this some sort of Pure-Blood, Slytherin thing?"

"Now however do you know about such things like that, my dear? I never told you about that. But no, it wasn't a Pure-Blood, Slytherin thing. Such a pairing wasn't governed or guided by Pure-Blood Slytherin beliefs. And besides, I think the idea of Pure-blood wizard families inbreeding simply for the sake of keeping the Wizard blood pure is blasphemy. But one would think that never the less with such a pairing. Of course, you know how your grandmother Eveline loves and adores my uncle Vincent. And you know how your Aunt Adelaide adores you as you are her favorite nephew."

"I still think it's mental, mum." hissed Severus, narrowing his eyes.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rose up from the crowds of wizards and witches in front of Eileen and Severus, "Eileen! Severus! Over here!"

Severus and Eileen looked over and saw that it was Adelaide Prince, waving at them and gesturing them over to her, standing in front of Ollivander's wand shop. Adelaide was a tall and beautiful woman with long, black hair and green eyes and was the youngest sister of James Potter's father, Gerald. She stood in front of Ollivander's wand shop, holding a small purple draw-string purse with money inside. As a beautiful, elegant and sophisticated young woman, Adelaide often dressed to impress and delighted in wearing long expensive scarves and elegant dressy hats. She didn't care much for wearing dresses though, so never really wore one except when she had gotten married to Nathalius a couple years ago. And having recently gave birth to hers and Nathalius's first child, Jack, she was glad to finally get out of her little English cottage. Her cottage was located in the small Northern England village of Topplemoor, located right next to and on the banks of the river Topplemoor and was located only nine miles past the town of the Shambles. Topplemoor was a quiet and shelter rustic English village where wizards and witches lived there along with a few trusted Muggles who also lived there. Another small, neighboring rustic English village where wizardfolk and Muggles lived in, called Nine Mile, was located near Topplemoor and also laid next to the river.

Severus walked up to Adelaide and coolly spoke, "Hello, Aunt Adelaide. It's been a while."

"Nephew! I am so glad to see you! Come here you!" said Adelaide joyfully and before Severus could react, Adelaide had her arms wrapped tightly around him, holding him up close to her chest. Stunned by his aunt's sudden show of affection, Severus began speaking out his Aunt's name in protest as he wriggled in his aunt's arms, trying to break free from his Aunt's strong grip around him. Severus was not use to being manhandled in this way, so it sort of annoyed him. But Adelaide took it all in stride, happy and smiling as she hugged him and held him tightly. All that Eileen did was watch her son be smothered with affection, giggling quietly under her breath. Adelaide then let go of Severus and smiled at him, while Severus looked up at Adelaide and narrowed his eyes at her in disagreement as he straightened up his school robes and brushed himself off.

"Ready to get your things for your first year at Hogwarts School, Severus dear?" said Adelaide cheerfully.

Severus looked at his mother, than looked at Adelaide puzzlingly as he spoke, "But Father didn't give me and Mum the money to get my things for school. He refuses to have anything to do with it."

"Which is why we are here with Adelaide, my dear," said Eileen, "She is here to help me buy your things for school."

Severus's face lit up briefly, then smiled softly and calmly, though Adelaide and Eileen could tell that Severus was excited and glad that Adelaide was going to help his mother get his things for school. Severus's friend, Lily Evans, was also going to Hogwarts School this year, having also been born in January, 1960 like Snape was. But Severus was born on Jan. 9th, 1960, while Lily was born on Jan. 30th, 1960, therefore Lily was a bit younger than he was. Severus and Lily would be going to Hogwarts School together to learn magic and witchcraft together as friends and fellow schoolmates.

**INT. OLLIVANDER'S WAND SHOP, DIAGON ALLEY, LONDON, ENGLAND - MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 1971)**

The bell on the door to Ollivander's rang as Adelaide and Eileen entered, followed by Severus Snape. Within Ollivander's wand shop, the entry room was the largest room in the building as far as Severus could tell and was dark, drafty and dusty, with only a couple candles sitting nearby as the only source of light in the room. Every nook, cranny and crevasse was covered in dust, with shelves of dusty wand boxes on every wall from floor to ceiling.

Facing the front counter near the back of the entry room from the door behind him, Severus noticed a dusty wooden staircase with railings that ran up the left side wall, which led up to narrow balconies and further shelves of wand boxes and cabinets above. Behind the front counter, there were more cabinets full of wand cores, disused wands and other strange and magical items, as well as an entrance to a backroom which led to further rows of shelves full to the brim with wand boxes. A tall, older gentleman with silvery eyes and short wavy white hair then walked out of the backroom and walked up to the front counter, cradling some wand boxes in his arms, though his hair had been reddish-brown at one time.

This was Garrick Ollivander, the owner of the wand shop. He had been a wand maker since he was in his 30s and was an intelligent man, with an excellent memory when it came to his work. Ollivander remembered the details of every wand he ever sold, seemingly becoming happier the more difficult the challenge to find exactly the right wand for a difficult customer and often used a magical tape measure to help assess customers for their wand.

Garrick looked at Severus in front of the counter and spoke, "Ah. A new wizard here for his wand I take it?"

"Yes, sir, I've been wanting a wand since summer. But Mum said that it was too soon to have one."

"Indeed that's true, young wizard," said Ollivander with a smile, "Though there are a few young wizards and witches in this world who tend to go against that rule and manage to get a wand before they should ever have one. What is your name my dear boy?"

"Severus Snape, sir." said Severus softly.

A mild look of awe fell upon Ollivander's face as Ollivander looked at Eileen and then back at Severus, sitting the wand boxes he had been holding on the front counter as he spoke, "Upon my word. I didn't recognize you all at first, it's been too long. I've heard about you, Mr. Snape. Apart from your own mother marrying into your family, you're the first wizard born into your family in a great many years. The last wizard to ever exist in your branch of the Snape family died 171 years ago."

"So I've heard, sir. And I think that's Serinus Snape you're talking about. I know of him, sir. He's the ancestor of the Muggle branch of the Snape family." said Severus coolly.

"Right you are, Mr. Snape, a most intelligent young boy you are," said Ollivander as Snape smiled shrewdly at him. Ollivander continued, "From what I've heard about Serinus Snape, he left the old wizard Snape family behind long ago and went on to marry Mary Rosiline, a Muggle..." - Ollivander brought out his enchanted tape measure and began getting Severus's measurements as Ollivander continued - "There only child, Thedric, was born a Squib and went on to marry Joanna Maresdale, also a Muggle. Eventually, all the wizard blood was purged from the family, leaving only Muggles in the branch. But then your grandmother Eveline Rosill came along and married your grandfather Edmund. She was also a Squib and didn't stay long after your father Tobias and uncle Edward were born..." - Ollivander brought his tape measure up to his eyes and stared at it a moment, "...Yes, indeed..."

"You seem to know allot about my family, sir. May I ask how?" said Severus, who kept being distracted by the wand boxes on the front counter in front of him that Ollivander was holding only moments before, as if something was prompting him to look at them. Ollivander continued as he finished with his tape measure and hid it away, looking up at Adelaide and smiling as he spoke. It was clear that he recognized her in some way, "I'm an old friend of the Prince Family, Mr. Snape and Godfather to Tomas and Rosanna, your aunt Adelaide's older brother and sister. Then of course, there is Gerald and Amelia, your aunt Adelaide's oldest brother and sister, but I'm not Godfather to them. A pity really," - Ollivander paused a moment, then spoke once more, "Let's just say one hears many old stories when around the Prince Family table on holidays, Mr. Snape...even those stories that one was never meant to hear or know about outside the family. Bad blood and family feuding brought about the Muggle branch of the Snape family, whereas the remaining members of the wizard Snape Family vanished into other wizard families, never to be seen again. I'm certain you must know about that, Mr. Snape."

"I do, sir. Most certainly," said Severus coolly, "The Snape Family history is pretty sorted, but we still soldier on."

Ollivander smiled, than turned to the shelves of wand boxes behind him. He then began running his fingers down the wand boxes as he continued, "Now then, Mr. Snape, let's see if we can find your wand...ah..." - he spotted one that caught his eye and pulled it out. But Severus's eyes kept being drawn to one particular wand box that was already on the table, very dark green, almost black in color. Ollivander then turned with the wand box he pulled out and opened it, shoving the wand boxes that were already on the counter over to his left as he spoke, "A wand made of Rowan, 15 inches with a rather unusual core of Ashwinder Ash. A bit overbearing this one is."

He handed the wand to Snape, who looked at it a moment before speaking coolly again, holding the wand in his right hand, "What do you want me to do with it, sir?"

Ollivander looked around a moment and noticed a book on wand lore near the end of the front counter, "Do you see that book there, at the end of the counter?" - Severus nodded as Ollivander continued, "I want to use your wand and open the book with it. When you're ready, I'll step out of the way a bit."

Ollivander quickly stepped a little out of the way, allowing Severus to aim the wand given to him at the book. But as Severus was aiming the wand, the wand reacted by trembling wildly in Snape's hand before sending out a powerful white bolt from its tip, hitting the book and disintegrating it instantly. Adelaide gasped as the book flew into a million pieces, while Eileen just giggled quietly under her breath.

Ollivander quickly stepped back behind the counter as the cloud of shredded bits of the book and parchment floated in the air and fell around him, "No, no, absolutely not!"

Severus sat down the wand on the counter and stepped back as Ollivander pulled out another wand box from the shelves, this time from the left back wall which sat within one of the entrances to the backroom and brought it over to the counter. But Severus's eyes continued to be drawn to the small group of wand boxes already on the counter. Ollivander pulled out the wand from the box that he just brought out and looked it over, "A wand made of Elder, 13 and 1/4 inches, with another exotic core of Hippogriff Feather. This one is rather stubborn."

Once again, Ollivander handed Severus a wand. This time, Ollivander wanted Severus to use the wand to levitate a feather that sat near the other end of the counter, near the wand boxes that Severus's eyes kept being drawn to. Once again, Ollivander stepped over and away from Severus's aim. When Severus aimed the wand in his hand at the feather, the feather began to slowly float up into the air and hover. For a moment, it appeared to Severus and to those who were with him that he had found his wand, but then suddenly - flash! Like a magnesium flame, the feather burst into flames and fell smoldering on the counter. Eileen brought a hand up to her mouth in amusement, while Adelaide glared on, mildly petrified.

Ollivander then looked at Severus and spoke as he turned and walked over to the right wall of shelves further back towards the backroom, "No...A tricky customer you are, Mr. Snape. No matter, I like tricky customers. I no longer work with exotic wand woods and wand cores anymore, Mr. Snape, they're too expensive. These wands that I've been trying on you are from some of my older stock, which I still have some of it around. Though I still use Elder and Rowan in my wands, I don't use Ashwinder Ash or Hippogriff Feathers as wand cores anymore."

Severus once again sat down a wand on the counter and stepped back. Ollivander then looked back towards Severus and paused as he pulled out yet another wand box from the shelves, before looking back at it and pondering. After a few seconds, Severus could no longer withstand the urge to pull out the very dark green wand box that his eyes kept being drawn to.

Eileen and Adelaide soon noticed what Severus was doing and walked up closer to Severus. His mother Eileen spoke, "What are you doing, my dear?"

"It's _this_ wand box, Mum," said Severus, holding the wand box, "It keeps drawing my eyes to it."

As Ollivander put away the wand box he was holding and pulled out yet another wand box and looked at it. Severus soon pulled off the lid to the wand box he was holding and looked into it. Inside the box, there was a black, seemingly featureless wand. But upon closer inspection, Severus noticed some elaborate markings and patterns carved into the handle of the wand, which looked Celtic in origin. Severus then pulled the wand out of the box and held it up in his right hand. At the instant he held the wand in his hand, something strange and amazing happened. An aura of golden-orange light began to shine and surround Severus's entire body, bathing him in light. It was a gentle, peaceful light, neither intense nor overpowering, though it did outshine the candles nearby, but only just.

Severus brought his arms up and looked himself over and at the light around him as he spoke, beaming in mild astonishment and smiling nervously, "Mum, I'm glowing. Why am I doing that?"

Adelaide brought a hand to her mouth in awe, while Eileen glared in mild surprise. Ollivander soon walked out of the backroom with another wand box and came upon the scene that was unfolding. Ollivander glared a moment in puzzlement, putting down the wand box he was holding on the counter as he spoke, "Curious...what manner of wand has got you doing that? Let me see."

The golden-orange light surrounding Severus soon faded and vanished. Severus then gave the wand he was holding to Ollivander before bringing his arms down to his sides.

Ollivander looked over the wand and spoke, "This is one of my older wands. A wand made of Ebony, 14 inches long, with a Dragon Heartstring core. Is _this_ the reason why you kept looking down at the wand boxes that I left on the counter, my boy?"

"I didn't think you noticed me doing that, sir. But I couldn't help myself, it kept drawing my eyes to it."

"Fascinating, Mr. Snape, and I was just about to put this wand on one of the shelves in the backroom. This wand tells me allot about you, my boy. A boy with a very powerful and unwavering desire to protect one's self and one's own as well as those he is devoted to and those put under his charge. It also tells me that you are a boy with exceptionally powerful magical abilities and skills which greatly surpass most wizards and witches in the Wizarding World. The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Snape and with this wand having a Dragon Heartstring core, you have firm convictions as well as the determination and drive to make your mark on the Wizarding World..." - Ollivander brought out his other hand, gesturing to the wand box that the wand had come in as he continued, "May I?"

**INT. KING'S CROSS STATION - MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 1971)**

After all his school supplies were bought and accounted for, Severus went on to King's Cross Station with his mother and aunt in toe. Placing his trunks, school supplies and other luggage onto a luggage cart, he soon pushed his things towards the direction of Platform Nine and Three Quarters, with his mother and aunt walking beside him. After a few minutes, Severus found his way to the entrance to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, which was located in a support pillar and was invisible to Muggles. Severus soon stopped in front of the entrance, watching several other students run towards the pillar and vanish into it with their luggage carts. Eileen and Adelaide then walked up to Severus and kneeled down next to him. It was time for Severus's journey to Hogwarts.

"Ready to go off on your own, my dear?" said Eileen softly, though Severus could hear both a mild gladness and sadness in his mother's voice.

"I think I am," said Severus softly in return, and like Eileen, sounded mildly glad and sad at the same time, "But what about you, mum? Will you be alright without me here? What if Father turns around and hurts you again?" said Severus, noticing the bruise on his mother's right wrist.

Seeing that Severus noticed the bruise on her wrist, she quickly covered it up with her left hand and held her right wrist as she spoke, "Of course I will be, my dear. And I can deal with your father, never fear. Remember what I've taught you, my dear. Control your emotions, keep your thoughts safe and close to you. Keep them away from all outside forces or influences. You must never show weakness or defeat, keep your mind safe and strong. You are a very powerful wizard, my dear. If you keep your nose to the grindstone and your mind in your magical studies, you are certain to become a true force to be reckoned with. Let nothing distract you and steer you off the path to greatness and know that you are best with potions, for I have seen your superior abilities and mastery in making them. Will you remember that, my dear?"

"I will, mum, _all_ of it. I _will_ not neglect nor shut out the lessons you have given me. And yes, I _will_ become the greatest Potions Master in the entire Wizarding World! No one and nothing will ever match me in potions! I _will_ be the best in my Potions class ever and _will_ make you proud of me. I swear it!" said Severus, looking up at his mother with a smile.

Eileen's face lit up briefly before going blank and melancholy again. Eileen then wrapped her arms around Severus and hugged him close to her as tears started welling up in her eyes. Severus then turned to Adelaide, who looked at him and smiled.

Adelaide then spoke softly, seemingly taking on the father's roll if only briefly, "Now remember, Severus dear. I want you to behave and not get into any trouble while at school. Always respect and listen to your teachers and learn from them all you can. Most important of all, respect and remain loyal to your Headmaster, for he or she will count on you to stand by his or hers side in times of peril as well as maintain a common courtesy and a respectable attire. You are of the next generation of budding wizards and witches to go to Hogwarts and the older generation is counting on you carry on as they did before you. We want you to have fun and delight in learning new ways of magic as well as the spells and tricks of the trade. And I have also seen your budding talent for potions. Become the best student in potions you can ever be, master your potential and skills in potions. Will you do that for me?"

"Yes, Aunt Adelaide. I will do what you say. I will make you proud of me to."

"No need to make me proud of you, my dear, I already am," said Adelaide with a mild grin, "It's your Headmaster and your teachers that you should make proud of you. Good luck, my nephew."

"Yes, Aunt Adelaide, I will." said Severus confidently.

And with that, Adelaide gave Severus a hug and gently pushed him on forward to the entrance to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Adelaide called at Severus as he approached the entrance, "And remember to look after your new friend, the fire salamander I bought you. He will serve you well in making potions and lighting your way at night."

"I will, Adelaide. He will be most helpful." called Severus back at her. With his luggage cart in front of him, Severus slowly picked up speed, faster and faster until he had picked up enough speed to go through the entrance to the platform, disappearing into it in a sparkle of light.

**INT. PLATFORM NINE AND THREE QUARTERS TO ON THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS - MORNING (SEPT. 1ST, 1971)**

Once on the platform, Severus was greeted by the sight of wizards, witches and students alike, bustling and moving about, trying to get where they were going. His eyes came upon the Hogwarts Express, which appeared as though it had just gotten a new coat of blood red paint. He then stood and looked around, ever so watchful of any sight of his friend Lily. After a couple moments, Severus soon caught sight of Lily, standing with her parents and her younger sister Petunia. Petunia was in her own way jealous of her sister, but also angry and appalled by her sister and her magical abilities, for when the subject of her sister's magical abilities would come up, Petunia would scoff and turn her nose up in disgust, brooding and sneering like any normal Muggle child that was against magic.

Lily's and Petunia's parents on the other hand were proud of Lily and delighted in her magical abilities and despite the fact that Lily was only a quarter of a Witch when it came to her blood, she still had marvelous magical abilities and was extremely talented magically. For a brief moment, just before leaving her parent's side, Lily showed off her wand, which was made of Willow, 10 and 1/4 inches with a Unicorn Hair core. Though normally her wand was meant to be made of Rowan, she was chosen by a Willow wand instead, which seemed to match closer to Lily for some reason or another. But Severus's wand was matched perfectly to him, there was no denying or mistaking that. After a few moments, Severus soon watched as Lily gave her parents a hug, than turned towards the train, walking off to it as Petunia and her parents looked on. Severus would follow soon after.

Once on the train, Severus walked down the corridor between the compartments, looking for a place to sit. He then realized that he had left his new pet fire salamander with the rest of his luggage and turned to walk back down the corridor towards where the luggage was, but then remembered that he wasn't supposed to show the creature or tell anyone that he had it, for fear that the beast would be stolen or taken away from him. Fire Salamanders were extremely rare magical creatures of the Wizarding World, especially in England, where none were known to live out in the wild. Fire salamanders were small, black amphibious lizards with spots and broken bands of yellow or orange all over their bodies.

Although they bred and lived in water, they would spend much of their lives engulfed in the flames of fireplaces and pyres, though any kind of fire was a safe haven for a fire salamander. Their skin produced a mucus that protected them from burning up in fire and to light fires with, but also produced a potent and poisonous toxin that was deadly if not used in certain potions or elixirs properly. All that one would need in order to collect some of the toxin was a swab or a rubbing stick. They were, or rather the toxins and chemicals in their skin, where especially useful in making certain types of potions and elixirs, which was the main reason why Adelaide had bought the creature for Severus in the first place.

Severus soon spotted Lily in one of the train compartments and opened the door to it to join her. It didn't take long for him to find out that Lily had been crying about her sister disliking magic and calling her a freak. Another boy, named Sirius Black, respectfully of that pure-blood wizard Black family, was sharing the compartment with Lily and would travel to Hogwarts with Lily and Severus in the compartment, sharing stories, telling jokes, making faces and eating candy with one another. Though Sirius would eventually join up with James Potter and The Marauders, thus giving Severus a whole world of trouble in the coming months and years while in school that were to follow soon after.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 14...**


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14: THE SORTING OF GHOSTS

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE TO THE GREAT HALL – EVENING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

After seeing Cyrus leave through the door, Albus turned his attention back to getting to the Great Hall. Albus wanted to get to the Great Hall in time to see his sister Lily and cousin Hugo being sorted into their Houses and join with the rest of his friends and family at the Gryffindor table. Sorting time was always an interesting time for all Hogwarts students, as it often determined who would be friend or foe in the long run. And although the enchanted Sorting Hat was getting older year by year, he continued to do the same job that he did every year when new students came to Hogwarts, reading their minds and deciding which House each student belonged to. The Sorting Hat was an old, brown pointed hat with long brown strips of cloth that dangled on either side. He was a sentient magical object with his own personality and once belonged to the founder of Gryffindor House, Godric Gryffindor, which was also a descendant of the ancient wizard Noblias Family.

And now, like so many students before them, Lily and Hugo were now going to be sorted into their Houses. But as Albus turned a corner and entered the corridor leading to the Great Hall, he realized that he had gotten to the Great Hall to late. The doors to the Great Hall were shut and the voice of the Headmaster, Vadamus Titch, could be heard through the doors. Sorting had already started. Not wanting to get caught late outside the Great Hall by a teacher or anyone else for that matter, Albus began walking quietly up to the doors to the Great Hall, walking past lit torches which lined the corridor around him. Unbeknownst to Albus however, Willowbree was sitting curled up in a ball, watching Albus as he passed the entrance to another corridor. Just before getting off the Hogwarts Express earlier, Albus found Willowbree waiting for him in her carrying box. Willowbree had somehow found her way into the luggage compartment and climbed into her carrying box, and was found to be napping in it. This made it obvious to Albus that Willowbree wanted to be alone for a while after all the celebrating that was going on in Albus's compartment, which seemed to be to much excitement for her for some reason.

As Willowbree watched Albus, she meowed quietly and then began to move, following Albus towards the Great Hall. The torchlight began to cast Willowbree's shadow on the wall, which began to change and contort, transforming into the shadow of a woman. Quietly and cautiously, Albus placed his hand on the handle of the left side door. He was just about to open it and sneak in, until - "Well, well, Mr. Albus Severus Potter. May I ask why you are out in the hallway at this moment, other than the fact that you are late in getting to the Great Hall and ever more late in getting to the Sorting Ceremony?"

Albus froze in his tracks, for he recognized the voice of the person that was walking slowly and ominously up behind him out of nowhere. Albus turned his head and looked up to his left. Looking down at him was the face of Verena Witchazel, the same woman whose face he saw in the door in his dream only hours before. She stepped up to Albus and stood, staring down at him like a great and menacing hawk zeroing in on her prey. Her cold and dangerous voice was sending chills up Albus's spine in every direction, but knew all too well as to who she was and why she was there. Albus took at deep breath and decided to play it cool as he turned to face Verena, trying to sound polite, "Good evening, Professor. I was wondering when I would see you. You're late in getting to the Great Hall to it seems. I saw Cyrus just now."

"No doubt another new student that is late in getting to the Great Hall in time. Do you know what happens to students that are not where they are supposed to be? They get into trouble and when they get into trouble, they get punished. 5 points from Gryffindor..."

"But, Professor! I was ordered to go to the Headmaster's office by Professor Groset and Cyrus stopped me in the corridor! I have a reason to be late!" protested Albus, but Verena just glared icily at him.

"...and detention, Mr. Potter, tomorrow evening at 7:00, meet me in the back courtyard behind the castle. And don't be late...anything more to say?"

Albus closed his mouth and shook his head, narrowing his eyes at Verena, who was clearly not interested in explanations or excuses. Verena smiled wickedly as she spoke once more, "Now then, as for the rest of your teachers wondering where you are, I think I can save you from them."

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE GREAT HALL - EVENING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

The left door to the Great Hall flung open and Verena stepped in, holding Albus by the back of his neck, dragging him through the door and pushing him forwards towards the staff table at the end of the Great Hall. Verena and Albus walked down a narrow and rug covered walkway with four long oak tables and seating that were two on either side. Above them, thousands of candled hovered in midair, set against the enchanted ceiling, which seemed to show the night sky beyond it. Having been burned up in the fire that destroyed much of the original castle, the Great Hall was re-built, becoming twice as long and twice as wide than it was before. Following the design of the Great Hall as it was during Severus Snape's time at Hogwarts, The Great Hall now included a marble balcony which sat 15 feet above the floor below and wrapped almost all the way around the Great Hall, with marble columns underneath. The balcony was accessed by way of a marble corner staircase which sat in either back corner of the Great Hall.

Underneath the balcony was another narrow and rug covered walkway and in the wall next to it, were several large stone fireplaces and blank spaces of wall on either side of them where the enchanted portraits of long dead Headmasters hung, including Dumbledore's portrait, which was closest to the staff table on the wall to the left. Curtains hung between the columns, which were often drawn shut while the Great Hall was not in use. Above the staff table, which lied horizontally across the end of the Great Hall on a raised portion of the floor, a large arched cathedral-type window made of crystalline glass could be seen, the light from the lit torches that were mounted on the columns flicking off of it. Long metal rods were stretched across the open space above the tables below, which hung upon them the flags and colors of each of the four Houses of Hogwarts.

A low garble of voices rose up from the student tables and hung in the air as the students watched Albus being pushed down the central walkway by Verena, who continued to hold him by the back of his robes. Vadamus Titch, who was sitting in a throne-like chair in the center of the staff table, stood up and watched with other teachers at the staff table as Verena dragged Albus towards him, causing the group of new students who were waiting to be sorted to part, allowing Verena and Albus to walk through. Verena stepped up onto the raised portion of the floor with Albus and stopped, letting go of Albus and shoving him towards the staff table as she spoke, "Forgive me for the disturbance, Headmaster, but I was busy bringing this boy to you. He claims that he has an excuse for being late."

"Headmaster, forgive me, but I have a reason for being late. I was..." said Albus in protest.

But Vadamus raised a hand in reassurance and spoke, "It's alright, young Albus, it's perfectly alright." - Titch brought his hand down and looked to Verena and continued - "Mr. Potter does indeed have a reason for being late and he need not be punished for his tardiness, Professor Witchazel, at least not this time." - Verena narrowed her eyes and looked at Albus dangerously as Titch looked back at Albus and smiled at him, speaking to him once more - "...You may sit down at your table, Albus, off you go now." - Titch then sat back down.

The garble of voices from the other students soon faded as Albus smiled at Titch and turned, walking towards the Gryffindor table. As Albus walked towards the Gryffindor table, he got a glimpse of Verena staring at him, which was not at all a pleasant or pleasing stare. This made it clear to Albus that Verena intended to make his first day back at Hogwarts a nightmarish one.

"And what is _your_ reason for being late, Professor Witchazel?" said Titch to Verena, who looked over at Albus briefly, then looked back at Titch.

"Oh, please do forgive me, Headmaster, but I was detained by Professor Moody. I was busy helping him try to find the group of students he was supposed to have escorted to the castle. I would have gotten here sooner, but I ran into Mr. Potter."

"Is this true, Professor Moody?" said Titch, looking down at Morphos Moody sitting at the left opposite end of the staff table.

Morphos Moody was the grandson of the late Alastor Moody and son of Alastor's son, Manus Moody. Like his grandfather, Morphos was an Auror and like his grandfather, had a few hidden scares, with exception to the one on the side of his head, from his younger days fighting dark creatures and dark magic. But Morphos was nowhere near as mangled as his grandfather was, since all of Morphos's body parts were present and accounted for. Morphos was a tall, slender built and attractive man, but was quiet, reserved and sometimes short tempered, rarely ever speaking unless he wanted to or had to. Morphos had three claw marks on the left side of his face, which started from the left side of his forehead and ran all the way down the side of his face and the left side of his neck, tapering off and ending on his left shoulder.

"I'm afraid so, Headmaster," said Morphos softly, his arms crossed and looking on in disagreement, "Though I would much rather find out who is responsible for kidnapping my group of students from the train station and give them a piece of my mind!"

"Indeed. Whoever or whatever has stirred up all this ruckus certainly has a great deal to answer for. But you need not worry, Professor Moody. We will find out soon enough as too who or what was the cause of all this chaos." - Titch than looked back at Verena - "You may be seated, Professor Witchazel."

In response, Verena bowed her head respectfully at Titch and proceeded to the opposite end of the staff table and sat down. Titch than looked back at Margarine, the younger sister of Minerva McGonagall and Head of Gryffindor House, who was in charge of sorting all the new students into their Houses, much like her older sister once did. Margarine had short black hair tinged with gray and was an elegant, sophisticated and respected Englishwoman, tall and slender, wearing elegant aquamarine robes and an a tall, aquamarine pointed hat. Margarine soon stepped over to a stool which sat in the front center of the raised floor and in front of the staff table. With a long piece of parchment in her hand that featured the names of all the new students that had yet to be sorted, Margarine picked up the Sorting Hat that sat on the stool next to her and spoke, "Will all the new students who have yet to be sorted step up closer to the stool please?"

The group of new students began to reform a group again near the base of the raised portion of the floor as she continued, "Each of you are here today to be sorted into one of the four Founding Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. When I call your name, you will step up to the stool and sit down. I will place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will then be sorted into your House. Let us continue."

As Albus watched the Sorting Ceremony from the Gryffindor table, Albus suddenly felt a tug on his left robe sleeve. Albus looked behind him and saw that it was Fred Weasley II, son of George Weasley and Angelina Johnson. Sitting next to the left of Fred II was Fred II's younger sister Roxanne, who had come to Hogwarts for her first year and had just been sorted into Gryffindor.

Fred II soon spoke, "Where have you been, cousin? We were looking all over for you earlier."

"Sorry, I was a bit detained while I was coming here," said Albus without looking, since he had much of his attention focused on Verena, who was glancing over and looking at him icily now and again, keeping one eye on the group of students being sorted and one eye on Albus.

Fred II continued, "Roxanne and I wanted to tell you. We got a letter from Victorie yesterday. She says that she and Teddy are enjoying their honeymoon with Uncle Charles in Romania."

"I gathered they would be, Teddy and Charles do share a common interest in dragons," said Albus as he suddenly noticed Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, sons of Luna Lovegood and Rolf Scamander, waving at him from the Ravenclaw table. Molly Weasley II and Lucy Weasley, daughters of cousins Percy Weasley and Audrey Weasley, were sitting to the right of Rose and Hugo on the opposite side of the Gryffindor table, sharing and looking at yet another book that Rose had brought from home. Just like Hugo and Albus's sister Lily, Lucy Weasley had come to Hogwarts for her first year and had just been sorted into Gryffindor.

One by one, Albus watched as Margarine called out the names of each student on her list and watched as the Sorting Hat called out the name of the House they were sorted into. Soon, Albus noticed that Verena was staring over at the left wall of the Great Hall with a subtle, but noticeable glimmer of affection in her eyes. Albus looked towards the direction where she was looking and soon realized who and what she was looking at. She was looking at one of the enchanted portraits that were being displayed on the left wall and within it, sitting in a black leather armchair, right leg crossed over the other, was Severus Snape. Snape had his arms resting on the arms of the armchair and was looking out dangerously into the Great Hall, holding a glass of really dark red wine in his right hand and looking at it. He wore the same stark black robes and black leather shoes and wore the same cold and dangerous expression upon his face that Albus remembered seeing upon his face earlier.

"Cyrus Van Hartigan?" called out Professor Margarine, which caused Verena to quickly focus her attention back on the students being sorted, expressing a subtle, wide eyed glare of excitement and concern. Severus then suddenly looked up from his glass of wine as if reacting to the calling of the name and gave a subtle glare of interest and concern, looking out through the front of his portrait as if he was suddenly interested in what Margarine was saying. Albus, noticing the reaction, turned his attention back on the students that were being sorted and soon realized who Verena and Severus were focusing on.

Stepping out of the group of students and walking up to the stool in front of them, was Cyrus, looking and acting more and ever more like a younger version of Severus. But as Cyrus sat down on the stool and was about to have the Sorting Hat placed on his head, no one seemed to be reacting to the obvious similarities that he had to Severus and Verena. It was as if their perception of the similarities were consorted or altered in some way, which was something that Albus felt was rather strange and peculiar. It was as though Cyrus was like a ghost, being there but also not there, as if the students were seeing Cyrus differently then how Albus was seeing him, as if Cyrus was someone completely different. But at the moment the Sorting Hat was placed upon Cyrus's head, the Sorting Hat cried "Arrgh!" - than began speaking with a hint of surprise in his voice, as if suddenly noticing something that most others in the room seemed to be failing to notice, "My my, young wizard, this is indeed a most strange and interesting situation we have here! A boy who is an experienced Occlumens, taught magic by his parents at a young age within the walls of Hogwarts itself without anyone knowing. But how is that possible? And his father! I say, his father is someone very special indeed!" said the Sorting Hat, as he bent over and looked underneath his rim at Cyrus, whose lips were curling and whose narrowed eyes were meeting up with those of the Sorting Hat's.

It was clear to Albus that the Sorting Hat knew who Cyrus's father was and it was almost as though the Sorting Hat was about to tell everyone, until the Sorting Hat straightened himself up on top of Cyrus's head again and continued, as Cyrus once again looked straight ahead again, "This boy has exceptional magical abilities indeed...

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE GREAT HALL - EVENING (SEPT. 1ST, 1971)**

"...He's quite cunning and intelligent, not a bad mind either, there's confidence, self-assurance and courage I see and a driving need to be the best and to protect his own self as well as those he is loyal and devoted to. It's all right here, inside his head. And it is telling me just the place to put you...Slytherin!" cried the Sorting Hat over the Great Hall. The students at the Slytherin table clapped and cheered as Severus jumped off the stool and gave the Sorting Hat back to Professor McGonagall. He then noticed Lily, who nodded her head and smiled softly and sadly at him from the Gryffindor table as he walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down.

** EXT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, SCHOOL GROUNDS - AFTERNOON (APR. 5TH, 1976) **

Sitting and studying underneath a tree together on school grounds, Lily sat next to Severus, hissing at him, "I wish you wouldn't study that book while you are with me, Severus. You know I don't like the Dark Arts."

"But I love the Dark Arts, Lily. I've loved the Dark Arts for as long as I can remember. There's nothing wrong with the Dark Arts, Lily. And besides, what would the Light be without the Dark?" said Severus confidently, his book on the Dark Arts open and sitting on his lap, "Light can't exist without Dark, just as good can't exist without evil. They balance one another. And frankly, knowing about the Dark Arts can be beneficial when fighting against it."

"I still don't like it, Severus. Meddling in the Dark Arts can only lead to trouble. And as one of my closest friends, you should understand why I feel that way. I don't want anything bad to happen to you," said Lily, sounding concerned and sincere with her feelings on the matter.

"But the Dark Arts are fun, Lily. I even joined a new Slytherin group that were impressed by my mastery over the Dark Arts. Look! they even gave me their mark of approval!" said Severus as he pulled up his left robe sleeve and showed the mark upon his left forearm, revealing his new black Dark Mark in all its sinister and macabre glory, featuring an evil looking skull with a writhing serpent coming out of its mouth, "I had to show off some of my magical skills and do a little ceremony with a Vanishing Cabinet with others in the group looking on though. I had to prove my worth and loyalty, which I did, and they gave me _this_ mark a couple days ago."

"Severus!" cried Lily, stunned by what she had heard, "Do you not realize who you've joined up with? How dare you! Why did you do that?"

"Because I wanted to! I wanted to be a part of something great and powerful...and now I am!" said Severus mischievously, but was somewhat unsure as to why Lily reacted the way she did just now.

"You've become a Death Eater, Severus! Loyal to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

"You mean Voldemort? I met him to. He's powerful, cunning, intelligent and strong...just the wizard to follow and swear loyalty to. Under his guidance and following, I will surely become the best in potions for sure."

Lily could hear no more of what Severus was saying. She simply scoffed disagreeably and stood up before walking off with study books in hand. Lily was clearly not happy or pleased about what Severus had done, but Severus simply shook his head and went back to looking at his Dark Arts book, figuring that Lily might come around to his side eventually. But Lily never would come around to his side and not long after, their friendship was ended, much to the dismay and horror of Severus. And though Severus would beg and plead for Lily's forgiveness, it was to little and to late, never to be the same again.

**EXT. THE CRYING RUINS, HOGWARTS SCHOOL GROUNDS - AFTERNOON (FEB. 23RD, 1974)**

"Arrgh! Severus, help! Severus!" cried Verena as she ran towards the Crying Ruins, seemingly in a state of dread and panic. Mapheria was once again taking on the form of a hydra and was now chasing after Verena, shrieking and hissing loudly, flying over the grassy, sodden ground bellow. Only minutes earlier, Verena had lost her wand somewhere in the Dark Forest while she was fighting with Mapheria and was now defenseless and unable to protect herself. Verena quickly ran into the Crying Ruins and hid behind a large boulder, which was weeping streams of water and was sobbing quietly. The Mapheria then landed next to the Crying Ruins, folding up her wings as she began flanking the Crying Ruins, looking around for Verena. Mapheria soon let out a snort and a soft hiss as she waved her long tail around and walked into the Crying Ruins. But Mapheria couldn't seem to see nor hear Verena through all the crying and retching which resonated from the mossy, lichen blotched boulders and ivy draped rubble that was the Crying Ruins.

Mapheria soon walked past the boulder that Verena was hiding behind and began sniffing the air. Verena, panting and looking on with intense eyes, looked around the edge of the boulder at Mapheria, who continued to sniff the air before hissing briefly and turning around, walking out of Verena's sight. Verena then looked away and lied her back against the boulder, letting out a long sigh of relief. But as she looked over to her left, the face of the hydra Mapheria, suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shrieked loudly at Verena, seemingly startling her and causing her to jump out quickly from behind the boulder. Verena was looking as though she was stunned and wide-eyed with horror, her back against the ground. Verena began crawling backwards on her hands and arms, seemingly in a state of terror as she looked up at Mapheria, who was now looming over her menacingly and looking at her with sinister intent. Suddenly, Verena began narrowing her eyes at Mapheria and looked up at her mischievously as Mapheria shrieked and hissed at her.

Mapheria then noticed the boulders around her were coming alight with clouds and wisps of glowing blue light. Unbeknownst to her, she had walked into the center of the Crying Ruins, with a ring of boulders which sat at its heart in a large circle. Verena had been pretending to be scared all this time, luring Mapheria into a ghostly trap.

"You fail to remember the stories and legends of this place, Mapheria! The spirits in these rocks don't take to kindly to foul, hideous creatures like yourself, especially when the creature is tormenting innocent and defenseless wizards and witches like me! These spirits would call it penance for their past mistakes," said Mapheria as clouds of glowing spectral blue mist began streaming out from the boulders and rose up from them. The sobbing, crying and retching had grown louder, with the clouds of mist transforming into the forms of transparent blue humanoid specters, with long, boney limbs and warped ghostly faces, wearing tattered and torn robes. The specters began to moan and groan loudly as they started to attack Mapheria, hovering and circling all around her. Mapheria began to shriek and screech loudly in disagreement, batting her claws and tail at them.

Seeing her chance to escape Mapheria, Verena stood up and started running out of the Crying Ruins and towards the castle. Elsewhere, Severus and Scabior were standing under a tree, laughing and showing off their magical talents at one another. They then heard a loud cry near the back entrance of the castle. To Verena's shock and surprise, Mapheria had managed to escape the attack from the spirits and now had her jaws clamped firmly down on Verena's body.

Verena cried out in pain and began crying out for help. Upon seeing Verena within the jaws of Mapheria, Severus yelled at Scabior to get help and then charged towards Mapheria and Verena, wand drawn. Stopping in front of Mapheria, Severus began sending spells towards Mapheria, trying to free Verena from her jaws. Mapheria was holding Verena high above the ground and appeared as though she was about to shallow Verena. But then Severus, leaping off from a tall boulder next to Mapheria, jumped onto Mapheria's back and started attacking Mapheria with a enchanted dagger that Scabior had given him moments before and began stabbing at Mapheria's head with it.

"Let go of her, Mapheria! Let go of her this instant!" cried Severus, stabbing at Mapheria's head repeatedly. Mapheria shrieked and cried out loudly in disagreement, then dropped Verena to the ground.

Severus then jumped off of Mapheria, landing near where Verena was sitting up, crying softly and bleeding from wounds on her stomach. Severus quickly gave the dagger to Verena and then turned to face Mapheria, aiming his wand straight at Mapheria. Mapheria shrieked and shook her head angrily a moment before she began looming over Severus, as if about to attack him, her drooling, gaping maw opening wide and hissing. Then, a man cried out "_Stupefy_!", causing a bolt of red light to hit the side of Mapheria's head, distracting her and causing her to shriek loudly and look towards her right.

Scabior had gathered up a group of both students who were Death Eaters and adult Death Eaters, who started running towards Mapheria and attacking her. Clouds and streams of black smoke streaked across the sky as Death Eaters began appearing out of them, landing and surrounding Mapheria. Mapheria, disoriented and confused, began walking in a circle, hissing and trying to gain her bearings. While the Death Eaters kept Mapheria busy, Scabior and another student helped Verena onto her feet and dragged her towards the castle. After a couple more minutes of this, Mapheria soon had enough and quickly turned and flew off into the sky, with the adult Death Eaters apparating in streaks of black smoke behind her, tailing her.

The students who were Death Eaters began to clap and cheer in celebration, jumping up and down and laughing, having defeated the creature that had done Verena harm. The spirits in the Crying Ruins quickly vanished back into the boulders, hiding away from the Death Eaters that flew over them. All was quiet and calm once again over the green fields of Hogwarts.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE HOSPITAL WING - MORNING (FEB. 24TH, 1974)**

The morning sunshine shown through the windows of the hospital wing, shinning down upon the rows of beds underneath them. In the right far corner of the hospital wing, Verena was sleeping silently, her stomach covered in wraps and bandages. Around her, some of her Slytherin friends stood and looked over her nearby, including Scabior and Severus, who were closest to Verena to the left.

"Will she be alright, Severus? Surely the hydra didn't hurt her to badly," said Scabior with a soft smile.

"Verena almost died, Scabior. One of our best friends," hissed Severus, looking up at Scabior then back at Verena, "Mapheria needs to be stopped."

"Indeed, she needs to be dealt with. Mapheria is no friend of our master and our master would certainly be pleased if we could put her in her place. I did ask some of our fellow Death Eaters to..."

"Silence, Scabior!" snapped one of the other students with him, "You mustn't say things like that in here! Their are demons within the walls of Hogwarts! They have ears! If they knew that we were Death Eaters, they would certainly tell there masters and if any of the teachers knew, we would surely get into trouble."

"Enough! Silence, the both of you! Can't you see that Verena is trying to sleep?" hissed Severus, "She needs to rest! And here you all are barking at one another about something that should never be seen or heard within these walls! We need to be on our guard, all of us!"

Suddenly, Verena began to stir and opened her eyes. Then, looking up at everyone looking down at her, Verena spoke coolly as Severus listened on silently, "Why are you all doing in here? Did our master not tell you all to watch out for the Accusers and their cronies when not studying or in class?"

"Forgive us, Verena, but we were worried about you," said one of the other students present, bowing her head respectfully at Verena, "You are one of our closest and best friends and one of our most loyal followers. We wanted to see and make certain that you were alright."

"Thank-you for your concern, Anna, but I'm fine. And you should be doing what our master asks of you then to worry about me. Our master's wants and needs comes before anyone else and you know that. But I do thank-you all for coming to my rescue never the less."

"You're indeed welcome, Verena. But like you said, our master's needs outweigh your own," said yet another student present, "We need to get going and start patrolling the school grounds again."

"Indeed, I must not detain you any longer. You may all go," said Verena, and with that, everyone who was at Verena's bedside began to leave the hospital wing and vanish out of sight, but Verena grabbed onto Severus's arm, stopping him, "Severus, stay with me a moment."

Severus turned back to Verena, who was now sitting up and looking up at him sadly, speaking to him softly, "Severus, I very nearly died yesterday. I have no doubt that Mapheria would have killed me if you had not heard me calling for you in time...you saved me."

"Of course I did, you're one of my best friends, Belladonna. I will always be willing to protect you." said Severus.

"I love it when you call me that, Severus. And it seems so appropriate a nickname in my case it seems." said Verena, and giggled softly.

"Belladonna is what you are, Verena. Your beauty is a poison that gets in your blood that one can never be rid of...a beauty that rivals even the beauty of the plant itself."

"Oh, Severus, how thoughtful of you. And here you are, almost flirting with me, when I know perfectly well that you are still thinking about Lily."

Severus then paused and silently looked away, brooding for a moment, then looked back at Verena with a look in his eyes that told Verena that she was right. It was true that Severus was indeed still thinking about Lily and how he had upset her by calling her a Mudblood by accident out of anger. And he was certainly still trying his hardest to gain her forgiveness over the matter. But even Severus felt that it was starting to become a lost cause.

"You do know me, don't you?" said Severus finally. Verena smiled sadly at Severus a moment. She then pulled the covers off of her and got off the bed, then sat herself down on the floor next to it, tucking her legs under her.

Severus stared down at her sitting at his feet, looking on confused and concerned, "What are you doing, Verena? Your still hurt! You need to stay in bed!"

Verena glanced over at the school nurse Madame Pomfrey's desk a moment to see if Pomfrey was there, then looked up at Severus, "Sit down here in front of me, Severus, and give me your left arm," said Verena. Severus did what she had asked and sat down in front of her. Verena then called over to Scabior, who had not yet left the hospital wing and was busy talking to another student that was in bed and was also a fellow Death Eater.

Scabior walked back over to where Severus and Verena were and looked down at the scene that was unfolding. Of course, it didn't take long for Scabior to figure out what was happening, "What is this now? Isn't it a bit awkward for you to be doing this in the hospital wing, Verena? Madame Pomfrey will surely be back here at any moment."

"You will be the Bonder, Scabior, and bare witness to what me and Severus are about to do...Do you mind?" said Verena.

"I would be honored, Verena," said Scabior, pulling out his wand and sitting down next to them.

"What is _this_ all about, Verena? What are _we_ about to do?" asked Severus.

Verena then looked back at Severus and spoke, "You saved my life, Severus. And for that, I am now indebted and obligated to you. You came to my rescue first and protected me, like any true friend would, and now I will do the same for you."

Severus, suddenly realizing what was happening, then nodded. Moments later, Verena was gripping Severus by his left wrist, while Severus was gripping her right wrist. Scabior then placed the tip of his wand on their bounded wrists and spoke, "_Adstringo Lemiscus_..."

Suddenly, a long, ethereal burning ribbon appeared out of thin air and wrapped itself tightly around the bounded wrists. Scabior then spoke towards Verena as Severus looked on, listening silently, "Will you, Verena Witchazel, watch over and protect Severus Snape, even when all friendship and ties have been severed between you?"

"I will..."

"And will you, Verena Witchazel, ensure that Severus Snape will not die before he should, protect him from ever facing an early death?"

"I will..."

"And will you, Verena Witchazel, to the best of your ability, ensure that if he ever should meet with death before his time, that you will do everything in your power to save him from his death and from death itself?"

"I will..."

Scabior than looked at Severus and spoke, "Do you, Severus Snape, accept the terms and the consequences of this vow that has been willingly presented and given to you?"

"I do..."

"And do you, Severus Snape, agree to the terms of the vow that have been placed before you and have been offered to you as payment for saving the life of Verena Witchazel?"

"I do..."

"And do you, Severus Snape, promise to follow and obey the terms of the vow that have been presented to you and will to the best of your ability, return the favor to whom has given this vow to you?"

"I do..."

Scabior then spoke to both of them at once, "It should be noted that if this vow is ever broken, the person who has vowed to the other will die, but the person that has been vowed to will not, though will be forever haunted by the fact of having taken part in the death of the other...is this noted and will be remembered?"

"It has and it will..." said Severus and Verena together.

The ethereal burning ribbon then disappeared in a cloud of glowing white mist, which than vanished into thin air. Severus and Verena than let go of each other's wrist and looked on silently and coolly at one another. They were now bound together by a special Unbreakable Vow, a vow that would determine their fate and their future together.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 15...**


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15: THE STORY UNFOLDS (PART 1)

**EXT. TO INT. A CATHEDRAL IN LONDON, NEAR THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC – MIDDAY (AUG. 19TH, 2001)**

As the bells tolled over the courtyard of a Roman Catholic cathedral in London, Lucius Malfoy was on his way to the Ministry Of Magic for afternoon meetings with some foreign wizards and witches from the East, but not before stopping at the cathedral for a special meeting. Stopping a moment to look around before crossing over the courtyard to the entrance, Lucius was wearing a new set of black dress robes, complete with a new hat and brandishing a new dragon headed walking stick. As Lucius entered the cathedral and walked down between the rows of long wooden pews on either side, he beheld the sight of a vast cathedral type scene, with hanging lights, a sweeping arched ceiling and a large stain glass window on the far end of a vast room. The cathedral was almost virtually empty, with only a scattered few people sitting in the pews and and cupping their hands in indistinct and quiet prayer, with soft cathedral music playing in the background. Near the wooden altar on the far end and under the strain glass window, white candles in candle holders were lit, there light shinning upon the confession boxes that sat on either side of them. A pair of Catholic priests, adorned in there fine priestly robes, were busy talking to each other in the far corner.

As Lucius stood a moment near the altar, he noticed a priest walk out of a confession box. Then a moment later, another robed figure, shrouded, walked past the priest and vanished into the confession box. Lucius walked over to the confession box and went into it. Sitting down, Lucius began to speak coolly and nonchalantly as he lied down his walking stick next to him and began pulling off his black leather gloves, "I don't have to ask why you wanted to meet with me here, for it is more than obvious to me."

"I was hoping that it would be, Lucius. You're roll in this plan is just as important as mine is," said the voice of a woman from behind the screen next to Lucius. "But we should both remain on our guard, especially with those little spies hiding out and running about within the walls of the Ministry. If they ever got wind of what we were planning, Mapheria and her followers would certainly have our necks for it. What have you seen and heard so far?"

"The plan is in motion in the way just as you predicted, Madame. Several of my closest confidants have already contributed to the cause and I am soon to be meeting up with other confidants later this afternoon. But I am getting no closer to finding out what Mapheria has been planning, since I have been running about the Ministry spying for her and trying to find out where her precious Guilding Eye Stones are located. She warned me not to return until I have brought her at least one of the seven Guilding Eye Stones."

"And you would be right to stay away from her, Lucius. She is no friend of either of us, but we are forced to serve her until we are ready to fight against her. Another thing, I have heard through the grapevine that you did have possession of one Guilding Eye Stone not to long ago. Do you know what has become of it?"

"No. Neither I or my wife was at home when it was stolen from my house and when I found out that Mapheria had not stolen it, I went about trying to find out who did."

"Well?"

"I have found nothing so far. Whoever has taken it certainly had the nerve to steal it from me out of my own house. And if I do find out who has taken it, they will have to answer to me."

"Quite so. And I have no doubt that you would punish them for taking such a valuable item from you and yet you fail to realize how far Mapheria's arm can reach. If you had kept that Guilding Eye Stone, Lucius, you would _not_ be sitting here today talking to me. The Accusers would have done everything in there power to gain possession of it, even going so low as to killing you for it. And unfortunately their views of morality and justice remain just as wrapped and twisted since last I encountered them."

"I know how to deal with Accusers, Madame. They can be persuaded easily if given the right price."

"Not so with Mapheria's Accusers, Lucius, they are to loyal to her and her twisted ways. They would kill you in a heartbeat for the Guilding Eye Stone since it would have benefited them as well as Mapheria, no matter what price you would have offered them. But Mapheria seems to keep them in line enough to where we don't have to worry so much about them. But it is a whole other story when it comes to the Accusers that are not loyal to her as they would have killed you for the Guilding Eye Stone since it would have only benefited themselves."

"True. But like I said, if the right price was given, they would have looked the other way and left me and my family alone in the end."

"Indeed, but you need not worry about them now. With the Guilding Eye Stone stolen from you, they have no interest in killing you for benefits...as for the here and now, here is another contribution to our ever growing cause." said the woman as she slid a letter in between the screen between her and Lucius. Lucius opened the letter and looked at it as she continued, "You will find that _this_ contribution is a bit more significant than the last one I gave you."

"Indeed, Madame, a significantly larger amount than last time. With a contribution of this magnitude we can extend our search just that more wider and gather even more followers to the cause. Hopefully by the time we are ready, we will have gained enough money and followers to keep Mapheria and her followers busy for years." said Lucius as he placed the letter in his pocket and began gathering up his walking stick and gloves. "But for now, I must get to my afternoon meetings at the Ministry. I have not doubt that they are there waiting for me."

"And no doubt the little spies hiding within the walls of the Ministry will be watching your every move for their masters. Remember, Lucius, you work for me, not for Mapheria. Pretend that you work for her if you must, but don't be turned over by her deadly and morbid charms and persuasions. She will only end up killing you in the end just like she had killed her own family long ago."

"I work for no one, Madame, not anymore. But I will keep that in mind the next time I see Mapheria. Until then, good afternoon." said Lucius coolly, and with that, Lucius could see the outline of the woman through the screen bowing her head at him, then Lucius got up and casually walked out of the confession box, walking past the progression of priests slowly walking between the pews and then out the entrance from which he came in through.

**INT. THE GREAT HALL, HOGWARTS CASTLE - EVENING (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)**

The Great Hall was alive with indistinct conversation as Professor Titch tapped on a glass of wine gently with a sliver spoon as he stood up from his chair, catching the attention of everyone in the Great Hall. The voices soon died down and became silent as Titch spoke, "Now that everyone is sorted and seated, I have a couple announcements to make. First of all, I want you all to welcome Professor Amphoria Beeblewing, the new temporary Herbology teacher until such time that our own Herbology teacher, Professor Neville Longbottom, has recovered from his long battle with a rare strain of Dragon-Pox. Amphoria, will you stand up and present yourself please?"

Titch turned to his left and clapped with the other teachers as the students began to clap and cheer. Amphoria stood up, bowing her head at the students appreciatively and grinning. Albus and his friends whistled and clapped as Amphoria once again sat down, grinning and laughing with a teacher next to her with glee. Amphoria was wearing long and elegant sea green robes and a large sea green colored pointed hat. She was a tall, fair-skinned, beautiful and elegant woman who appeared to be in her early mid 30s, with green eyes, while her hair was a dark brown color, long and having an appearance and style resembling that of a cobra's hood. Though Amphoria was of Slytherin House, she was it seemed one of the few of Slytherin House that was actually nice to everyone.

Professor Titch continued, turning to his right as the cheering and clapping died down, "Thank-you, well done, I hope that we will all get along well and welcome her with open arms. Now, will all the students please welcome Professor Verena Witchazel, who is now replacing Professor Reginald Dresdale as Head of Ravenclaw House and as the new Potions teacher here at Hogwarts, while Professor Dresdale heads off to Romania to join up with Teddy Lupin, Teddy's new wife Victorie and Charles Weasley to embark on a 3-year venture to find and study new and rare species of fire salamanders and dragons. Professor Witchazel has also taken up the post as Magical Archery teacher here at Hogwarts until such time when another Magical Archery teacher can be found. Professor Witchazel, welcome."

And with that, Titch and the other teachers began to clap. The students began to clap and cheer as Verena stood up and, looking on coolly, gave one nod of approval and then sat back down. The students at the Ravenclaw table was especially boisterous, clapping loudly and cheering on Verena's name. Albus on the other hand, wasn't clapping or cheering as he looked at Verena, and instead looked at her coolly. Severus was also clapping, but looking away coolly towards Albus. Cyrus and Evangeline were also clapping, sitting at the Slytherin table next to one another.

The clapping and cheering died down once more as Titch turned back and looked straight ahead again as he continued further. But as Titch continued to talk to the students about upcoming events at Hogwarts, Albus's brother James, who was sitting further down the Gryffindor table, suddenly stood up and moved down to sit between Fred II and Albus. He had politely moved down to sit next to Albus so that another Gryffindor student could sit closer to her friend.

James slid in between Fred II and Albus and spoke, "I'm telling you, Albus, this Gryffindor table gets longer every year."

"Yeah. And frankly so does the Slytherin table, though they obviously have no idea who they've got sitting at it for the moment." said Albus without looking at James, since his eyes were intensely focused on Cyrus and Evangeline sitting at the far end of the Slytherin table. James soon noticed Albus looking at them and continued, "What is up with you, Albus? First you make up a story about Severus Snape being alive and now you're staring at a couple Slytherin students."

"I'm telling you the truth, James. Professor Snape may be in a portrait but he is still alive, though frankly I don't know how he can be. Perhaps our new Potions and Magical Archery teacher might know."

"You're mental, that's what you are. And even if you are telling the truth, it's not like you can prove it," scoffed James, looking back at Titch, who finished his speech and sat back down once more.

Albus then paused and looked over at Verena, who was now eating and talking to Professor Gregus Groset sitting next to her.

"You want to make a bet on that, James?" said Albus finally. James opened his mouth and glared at Albus in disbelief. Clearly Albus knew better than to make a bet with James, as James would almost always win a bet. But Albus said it, thus James accepted.

**INT. THE GREAT HALL, HOGWARTS CASTLE - MORNING (FEB. 27TH, 1974)**

Inside the Great Hall, the students were busy eating breakfast and getting ready for another day at Hogwarts. Having found out that Verena was now out of the Hospital Wing, Severus went in search for her. Walking to and then standing just outside the doors to the Great Hall, Severus looked in and then entered, noticing Verena reading a book and paying no attention to those sitting with her at the Ravenclaw table.

Severus strutted up behind her and spoke, "Do you mind if we talk, Verena..._alone_?" said Severus in his usual cold and nonchalant manner. Verena stopped chewing on her piece of bacon and looked up silently from her book at Severus. She could tell from the tone in Severus's voice that this was something serious. The three Tavarti sisters, noticing Severus while sitting on the opposite side of Verena at the Ravenclaw table, looked up from there plates and scowled at Severus, saying nothing to him. Severus narrowed his eyes and scowled at them in return as Verena stood up from the table and walked towards the entrance to the Great Hall. The Tavarti Sisters than looked down at there plates again as Severus left with Verena.

Standing outside the Great Hall with Severus in a spot where they could not be seen or heard by those in the Great Hall, Verena soon spoke, "I gather that you have something important to discuss with me about...Hey!"

In an instant, Severus grabbed onto Verena's right arm and began pulling up her right robe sleeve, hissing at her angrily, "I thought we agreed that we weren't going to keep any secrets from one another. You're a Death Eater, like I am."

Severus soon revealed Verena's Dark Mark on her right forearm, proving that she herself was a Death Eater and a follower of Lord Voldemort. Verena pulled her arm away from Severus and narrowed her eyes disagreeably at him as she spoke, "I thought that became obvious to you in the Hospital Wing earlier. Yes, I am one of our Master's followers, I have been since my 4th year here," - Verena pulled her right robe sleeve back down, hiding her Dark Mark.

"So you failed to tell me, even before we forged a vow between us? Why didn't you tell me, Verena? I would have wanted to know."

"Silence, Severus! Do you want the whole school to know that we are Death Eaters?" snapped Verena quietly, "And if you remember, the walls still have ears...or have you forgotten about those who hide within the walls here?"

Suddenly, a sinister child's voice resonated outwards from the wall next to them, "Indeed, young wizards, you should be more careful about what you say within these walls, especially when they are listening to every word you're saying. Oh, but it is to late to hide your secret from me young wizards, for I could hear you as clear as a flowing stream. You two are Death Eaters are you? Most fascinating indeed."

Severus and Verena jumped a few feet away from the wall and looked at it as the sounds of children's voices laughing and giggling resonated through the wall next to them. Suddenly, a small ghostly, transparent and spindly looking blue figure jumped out of the wall and landed at Severus and Verena's feet. Severus and Verena quickly pulled out there wands and pointed them straight at the creature, unsure of what to make of it. Through the figure appeared to be looking up at them, its face was like a blank parchment, with no features of any kind, not even eyes to see or a mouth to speak from, but its whole body glowed a brilliant blue hue. It had on small glowing blue robes and had long, boney limbs, standing on all fours with its long, skinny tail stretched out behind it and waving slowly back and forth.

"Do you not want to ask me _what_ I am, young Death Eaters? Or would you rather not know?"

"We already know what you are! You're a Child of The Bitter Wood, offspring of the Accusers. Does your kind delight in sneaking around and ease dropping like this? Or do your parents make you ease drop and spy for them?"

The figure hissed at Severus and Verena before it began sounding like a child again, laughing and giggling, "You Death Eaters know nothing! My brothers and sisters do this to save our kind, so close to being destroyed. And yet your kind continue to deny us the right to live on, while we struggle to survive. Oh, my parents will be pleased when I bring them two Death Eaters to play with."

"In your dreams, you parasite!" snapped Severus as he sent a curse towards the figure with his wand, followed by another curse from Verena's wand. The figure shrieked then jumped out of the way of the curse before jumping back into the wall again, vanishing out of sight. Suddenly, Severus and Verena could hear more child's laughter and giggling coming from the walls all around them, surrounding them. Severus and Verena soon went back to back, there wands pointed out in front of them.

"I don't like this, Severus. They certainly mean to do us harm," said Verena, looking on concernedly.

"No, Verena. They mean to take us to their parents," said Severus with an intense look in his eyes.

"That's even worse!" said Verena and Severus together, looking at one another over each other's shoulder.

"My brothers and sisters! They shot curses at me! They need to be taught a lesson. Let's take them to our parents!" said a mischievous child's voice in the wall.

"Yeah, let's take them to our parents! They would want to play with them!" said yet another mischievous child's voice in the wall.

"No one attacks our brother and gets away with it! Let's take them to our parents!" said yet another still.

Suddenly, more small ghostly figures jumped out of the walls from all directions and began to slowly and menacingly surround Severus and Verena. But just as they are about to attack Severus and Verena, they heard a man cry out, "_Lumos Solem_!" causing a bright beam of light to break through the surrounding group of ghostly figures that surrounded Severus and Verena. The figures hissed in disagreement and scurried away quickly back into the walls from which they came. After the light died down, Severus and Verena soon saw that it was Professor Slughorn who had sent the spell and stopped them from being taken by the figures. Professor Slughorn quickly hid his wand away and walked up to them. Severus and Verena soon did the same, hiding their wands back in their robes and turning to face Slughorn.

Verena soon spoke, "Thank-you, Professor, you saved us just in time. For a moment there, we thought that we were done for."

But the look on Horace's face told Verena and Severus that he had been watching and listening to them the whole time and had heard every word they had said to one another, a look that was both of worry and suspicion. Verena and Severus looked at one another, then looked back at Slughorn as Verena continued, speaking softly, "We're sorry, Professor, you weren't supposed to hear all that. Please don't tell the other teachers, we'll get into trouble."

Slughorn stepped up to them and spoke softly in return, "My dear, I think I've known for quite some time as to where you and Severus's loyalties lie. But they were all just suspicions up until now. But you need not worry about me telling the other teachers, my dear. I'll just, run along and pretend that I didn't hear or see anything."

"But what if...?" said Severus suddenly, but Verena stopped him by grabbing onto his arm and speaking towards him, "You heard the Professor, Severus. He said he saw and heard nothing. And we need to get back into the Great Hall and finish our breakfast before we're missed. Good day to you, Professor Slughorn."

And with that, Horace gave a worried nod as Severus and Verena turned and walked towards the Great Hall, but Slughorn suddenly spoke once more, "You two..." - Severus and Verena looked back at Horace as he continued, "If you don't want the eyes in the walls to attack or bother you anymore, I suggest that you leave out some sweets around your beds tonight. Some fresh fruit and some candy. Maybe some cake if you can manage it. At least for tonight anyway."

Severus and Verena nodded, then turned back around again, walking into the Great Hall. Severus than spoke as he walked next to Verena, "Did Professor Slughorn just tell us to buy off the creatures in the walls with sweets?"

"Not another word, Severus."

**EXT. HOGWARTS SCHOOL GROUNDS, BEHIND HOGWARTS - AFTERNOON (MAY 13TH, 1976)**

"_Expelliarmus_!" cried Verena as she sent a bolt of blue light from her wand towards Lily, who was hiding behind a large boulder nearby. Lily soon countered with "_Immobulus_!" sending a bolt of white light in return from her wand, but Verena blocked the spell with her wand.

"You're a coward, Lily! Quite unworthy of Severus's affections!" hissed Verena angrily, sounding less like an Occlumens than ever, "You're always stealing him away from me! He will be mine and no one else's! And you continue to grab his attention every time me and him are together, every time we walk to our classes. Sometimes I can't stand listening to him talk, cause all he seems to want to talk about is you!"

"Why are you doing this, Verena? I already told you, me and Severus are no longer friends. And what do you mean I'm stealing him away from you? I never wanted him, I just liked him as a friend!" cried Lily from behind the boulder.

"Really?" said Verena as she sent another spell towards the boulder, keeping Lily behind it. "Than why did I see you kiss him a few days ago. It was like you had forgiven him for calling you a Mudblood. Did you go somewhere to kiss him some more, Lily? I bet that would have been a sight for your friend James."

"It was an accident, Verena! I didn't mean to kiss him, he was trying to help me pick up the books that I had dropped, I tripped and fell towards him and we just...Nevermind! Why do you care, Verena? You've never kissed him nor have I seen you two hug! But what do you know about love, Verena? You're nothing but a jealous, cold and deceitful woman that needs to be put in her place." - Lily than jumped out from behind the boulder and cried, "_Expelliarmus_!" - sending a bolt of white light from her wand once more towards Verena, than turned and ran towards the back entrance to Hogwarts Castle.

Verena once again blocked the spell with her wand and countered with "_Stupify_!" - sending a red bolt of light from her wand towards Lily. But Lily turned quickly and blocked it with her wand, than twisted back around and continued running.

"There are no accidents when it comes to you and Severus, Lily! I don't believe you!" hissed Verena, as she followed Lily soon after. Nearby, Scabior was busy studying under a tree with a friend. They looked up and soon realized what was going on. Scabior and his friend continued to watch on, amused and with mischievous smiles upon their faces as Lily and Verena continued to play cat and mouse with one another on the school grounds. Than Scabior spoke nonchalantly and mischievously, leaning towards his friend, "Oh dear, Angelo. Severus won't be pleased when he finds out about this." - Scabior than laughed quietly and grinned.

"I second that one, Scabior. I most surely do," said Angelo nonchalantly and mischievously in return.

**INT. A CORRIDOR TO AN EMPTY ROOM IN HOGWARTS, HOGWARTS CASTLE - MORNING (MAY 14TH, 1976)**

The next morning, all the students were flooding through the doors of the Great Hall as they did every morning for breakfast. But Severus was angrily walking down the corridor through the crowds of students looking for one particular student, namely Verena Witchazel. Having been informed by Scabior about the fight Verena had with Lily yesterday, Severus was in no mood to wait until after breakfast to confront Verena about it. Severus looked through the crowds of students passing by and soon caught sight of Verena, standing proudly with her hands behind her back and watching the other students enter through the doors to the Great Hall.

Severus walked angrily up to Verena and forcefully grabbed her by the arm, wearing a scowl so large that it would have told anyone that he was furious.

Verena began to protest, "Severus! Wha...What are you doing? Let go of me this instant!"

"You're coming with me right now!" snapped Severus as he ruthlessly dragged Verena away from the other students and towards an empty room nearby.

Severus opened the door to the empty room and pulled Verena into it, than slammed it shut behind him. Scabior, who was standing with other students who were Death Eaters, noticed Severus had dragged Verena over to the empty room. Scabior and those with him soon ran over to the door to the empty room and stood, listening in, but also making sure that no one went into the room until Severus and Verena left it. Inside, all those who were standing outside could hear everything that was going on inside the empty room. Severus and Verena were arguing at one another about Lily and the fight that Verena had with her.

"What's the matter with you, Verena? Why did you have a fight with Lily?" snapped Severus angrily.

"She started it first when I saw her kissing you!" hissed Verena, "She should never have done that! Stealing you away from me when she is in love with another, I won't hear of it, Severus! And besides, I won the fight fair and square, it's over and done with! She's gone forever and good riddance to her!" hissed Verena in return.

"You should never have done that, Verena! Don't you realize what you've done? You've ruined any and all chance of me ever being forgiven by her!"

"She was never going to forgive you, Severus! And if you've forgotten, Lily is in love with James...not you! It's the painful truth, Severus! Accept it! I was ensuring that you wouldn't be bothered by her again! And after the fight we had, she won't. Why are you getting all worked up over a small, petty wand duel?"

"Small?" hissed Severus, glaring angrily at Verena, "You're a jealous, under-handed, poor excuse for a witch, Verena! You're acting like a small, spoiled child fighting over a favorite toy that was never yours to begin with!"

"What are you talking about, Severus?"

"I was never yours, Verena! Have you forgotten how much I love Lily? I wouldn't have never allowed this fight to happen if I knew that it was going on! I would have stopped you!"

"But, Severus, you don't understand! I did it for you! I wanted us to be together!" said Verena, walking up to Severus and trying to hug him. But she is quickly shunned and pushed away by Severus as she continued, "I didn't want anyone else standing in the way distracting you! I want you to be with me! I've always wanted you to be with me, from the moment I saw you!"

"Do you know who you sound like, Verena? You sound like Mapheria! She thinks just the same way as you do and ended up killing my whole family because of it, simply because she couldn't possess my father and have him all to herself! I was never your possession, Verena, and I never will be! I love Lily and I will always love Lily, never you!"

Verena glared at Severus angrily a moment, than looked away and laughed sarcastically before looking back at him, narrowing her eyes and hissing at him further, "You should know perfectly well by now that I am nothing like Mapheria! And I should know how you feel about me! It's long since been obvious to me! And yet you deny your feelings for me, simply because you can't let go of your feelings for Lily! Lily loves James, Severus, not you! But I am here, Severus, and I will always be here! I can make you just as happy as Lily would have, if not more so! Forget about Lily, Severus, she is a lost cause. Just come with me and stay with me! Be with me, Severus! I only want you to be happy and make you happy, just as you are."

"Happy, with you, Verena? How dare you say that to me!" hissed Severus, "I don't want to here another word out of you, Verena! From now on, you stay away from me! I don't want to ever see or speak to you again! Now get out of my sight this instant before I do something unspeakably horrible to you with my wand that I will regret! You get out of here right now!"

Verena narrowed her eyes at Severus and scowled angrily at him. Then, with tears welling up in her eyes, she ran from the empty room, sobbing and running past Scabior and his friends in the process. Severus soon noticed the looks on Scabior's face and on the faces of those who were standing with him, which were not pleasant looks to say the least.

"Overreact much, Severus?" said Scabior calmly and nonchalantly. "I knew that you were going to be angry, but I had no idea that you would be so furious about it. Do you realize what you just did? Verena was one of our master's most loyal followers and now..."

"And you have no room to talk, Scabior! You're the one who told me about the fight in the first place!" hissed Severus angrily as he barged out of the room and past Scabior and his friends. And with that, Severus and Verena's friendship had ended. Soon after, Severus once again tried to ask for Lily's forgiveness and talk to her about the fight she had with Verena, but as was the case of Severus and Lily's friendship, it was to little, to late. Severus was left to spend the rest of his time studying and learning alone until his graduation in 1978, watching Lily and James from afar.

**EXT. A SMALL CHURCH IN GODRIC'S HALLOW, WEDDING RECEPTION - AFTERNOON (MAY 5TH, 1980) **

It was a warm, spring day in 1980, when bells over the church courtyard rang out in celebration of James and Lily's wedding and their new life together. At the wedding reception, though many of those attending the wedding and the reception were of the Evans family, a few of them were from James's side of the family were also present for a short time after, including his Aunt Adelaide and her three children. Though Adelaide had long since left the reception before Severus appeared, having witnessed the wedding from afar. Severus, dressed in hid finest black robes and with his hair tied back in a pony tail, walked into the reception area and began looking around for the now Mrs. Lily Potter.

He had been invited to witness the wedding and join the reception after, though with reluctance from James, who didn't want Severus standing in the way of his big moment with Lily. Even now, James continued to be a rival of Severus and still resented his presence. But even though Lily had still not forgiven Severus for calling her a Mudblood long ago, she still cared enough to invite him to her wedding. Unbeknownst to Severus however, Verena had also been invited to the wedding and to the reception after, even though Lily had not forgiven her for the fight they had which had ended their friendship. It was clear that Lily had a far more forgiving nature than either James or Severus had, which made her the better person in many respects. But Lily, unbeknownst to James, had discovered from Adelaide that Severus was James's cousin and would at least tolerate the presence of Severus, for the sake of the friendship she once had with him and for the fact that he was James's cousin, or in another word, _family_.

Severus looked around the large circle of people that were standing about and talking to one another, drinking and eating snacks off trays that were being passed around the courtyard. Then Severus caught sight of Lily, who was looking more beautiful and radiant than ever before, dressed in a purple-red and white wedding down with a long, transparent purple-red veil attached to a sliver tiara and with purple-red lace frills running down the back. The sleeves and shoulders of her wedding gown were made of white lace, with a long white train stretched out behind her and held a large bouquet of red, purple and white lily flowers in her hand, posing with James for their wedding picture.

Afterwards, Lily asked James to go get her a drink from the dining table. As James left to get Lily a drink, he soon caught sight of Severus coming through the gates of the church courtyard, who then stood and looked over at Lily.

"What are you doing here, Snivellus?" hissed James as he was walking towards the dinning table, standing in front of Severus and stopping him in his tracks. "This is my wedding and you weren't invited, you shouldn't even be here!"

"I did not come to fight with you James, I came to see Lily as an old friend," hissed Severus in return.

"James, please. Play nicely with Severus," said Lily as she walked up and stood next to James, grabbing onto his arm. "And I already told you, I invited Severus to our wedding for the sake of the friendship that we once had. Let us at least try to keep the peace for now and try to enjoy ourselves." - Lily than spoke to Severus, who was standing quietly and listening - "Hello, Severus. You're looking well today. I've never seen your hair tied back in a pony tail before. It looks good."

"You look absolutely radiant, Lily. It's a shame that we didn't patch up things while we were in school, I missed studying together with you in those last four years there. If only you would have forgiven me for what I said to you." said Severus, who was keeping an eye on James as he spoke. Severus than noticed the front of Lily's gown and soon realized that she was at least 7 or 8 months pregnant. Severus then gave a brief cool glance over at James, then glanced back over at Lily, giving no hint or indication that he had noticed.

Lily continued, "You know how I feel about that, Severus. But this is neither the time or the place to open up old wounds. This is meant to be a happy occasion. I didn't invite you to this wedding so that you can turn it into your own personal battle ground to fight out your own past mistakes. Now, I want you and James to behave yourselves while you are here and that includes your friend Verena. I don't want any of you to start a war here and cause trouble. I want us all to set aside the past for now and just enjoy the festivities."

"Verena is here, at the reception? Why on Earth did you invite her?"

"She is an old friend, Severus. Estranged, I know, but still an old friend. Why don't you go look for her? I'm sure that she'd want to see you."

"But I don't want to see her, Lily, she hurt you in that fight she had with you. I wish she had never fought with you like that."

"Severus, please. This is a happy occasion for me and James. At least for the moment, I want you to be nice to Verena and just be here and enjoy this time with me as an old friend. Will you do that for me?"

Severus gave a quiet sigh and said softly, "I'd do anything for you, Lily."

"Thank-you, Severus...Oh, there she is now." said Lily, noticing Verena standing near the edge of the courtyard, looking on at everyone.

Severus looked coolly over at Verena, than sighed once more before reluctantly walking towards her.

James continued, whispering to Lily as they watched Severus leave and walk towards Verena, "I still don't like him being here, Lily. Just the mere sight of him makes me want to take out my wand and curse him. He and Verena are just looking for trouble that's all I can say."

"James, please. Leave it alone for now." said Lily as she pulled James away by the arm and walked with him towards the dinning table.

Severus got within five feet of Verena and then stopped as Verena looked over and noticed him. Severus then looked away and walked off towards the courtyard garden and the walls of green hedges surrounding it. Verena began to follow him soon after.

**EXT. A COURTYARD GARDEN, WEDDING RECEPTION - AFTERNOON (MAY 5TH, 1980)**

After a couple minutes, Verena found Severus, looking around the edge of a garden hedge at Lily and James, who were standing together in the center of the courtyard, laughing and talking to friends and family. Verena than saw a look on Severus's face, a look that she had only seen on his face once before, when he had found out that his family had been killed. Verena than noticed that Severus was crying, with tears running down his face. It looked as though he was about to break out into a full blown sob, but as an Occlumens, he was trying his hardest to restrain himself to the best of his ability. But Verena knew what Severus was feeling and could tell that Severus wanted to cry out as loudly as he could.

Verena slowly walked towards Severus and stopped, standing five feet behind him. Verena was about to say something to Severus, but instead, she paused a moment and stopped herself, listening to Severus cry and retch softly. Severus was secretly crying his heart out for Lily, feeling sad and heartbroken from having lost the chance to be with her. It was a sight that was unbeknownst to everyone but Verena. It was at that moment, as Verena watched Severus slowly slide down the side of the hedge and sit on the ground in a pool of tears, that she realized the full extent of how Severus felt about Lily and how much he really loved her. And even though Verena wanted to comfort Severus and tell him how she felt about him, she suddenly couldn't seem to bring herself to do so. Then Severus noticed her standing and looking down at him.

"Verena? How long had you been standing there?" said Severus disagreeably, looking up at her with red and teary eyes.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Verena forced herself to speak to Severus through her tears, her voice cracking as she spoke, "Forgive for what I've done to you, Severus...Oh, please forgive me!"

And with that, Verena than brought her hands up to her mouth, than turned and ran away down the garden path quickly. Severus stood up and began to follow Verena, but stopped himself as she vanished into the hedge. Severus would not see Verena again until Harry Potter's first day in Potions class, in 1991.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 16...**


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16: ALBUS AND THE NEW POTION MASTER (PART 1)

**EXT TO INT. CORRIDOR, POTIONS CLASS, THE DUNGEONS, HOGWARTS CASTLE - MORNING (SEPT. 2ND, 2018)**

The next morning, Albus and his cousins prepared themselves for a new year at Hogwarts. As was normally the case every year at Hogwarts nowadays, the day would start off with breakfast in the Great Hall which was than followed with the morning classes, which included among other classes: Potions (Spell Writing class would be the first class every two weeks), Herbology, Flying (morning DADA class occurred at the same time), Dueling/Spell Casting and Maths. Than a 1-hour break at mid-day for snacks, visiting the School Library and for other needs, followed than after by the afternoon classes, which included among other classes: Transfiguration, Divination (Hogwarts/Wizard History occurred at the same time), Spells/Charms, Quidditch Practice (every other day, afternoon Potions class occurred at the same time), Ancient Ruins, Care Of Magical Creatures, Elemental Magic and Magical Archery. Morning Potions class would usually be the first class of the day, while Astronomy class would be the last, followed by dinner in the Great Hall. Every Saturday was for homework and extra studies, as well as for the Quidditch matches, while Sunday was for resting, games, extra credit activities and going to Hogsmeade every other week for supplies. It was a cycle that Albus and the others were all to familiar with.

"First Potions class of the year, Albus. Aren't you excited?" asked Rose, as she walked next to Albus and Hugo down into the dungeons, cradling her new Potions book. "I can't wait to make some of the Potions that they've rediscovered."

"Yeah, like the Invisibility Potion. I heard it uses a special rare magical herb the renders the potion invisible to Muggles. Whenever a Muggle sees a potion bottle with potion in it, the bottle will look like its empty, when in reality it isn't. Isn't that amazing, Albus?"

"Yeah, if you say so, Hugo," said Albus, who was sounding as though he was preoccupied with thought as he walked, nestled between Rose and Hugo.

"Oh don't say that you're still on about the new Potions teacher? She's just a teacher, she isn't anyone special. And Severus Snape is dead, he's in a portrait, end of..."

"You wouldn't be saying that that, Hugo, if you knew that she was the wife of Severus Snape. And not only that, the mother of his children. You didn't have the dream on the train, Hugo. You wouldn't know."

Hugo scoffed as Rose continued, "Albus is right about one thing, Hugo. Professor Witchazel is indeed married to someone."

"Now how do you know that, Rose?" asked Albus and Hugo together.

"Oh come on, you two. Didn't either of you look at her hands?"

"No, we were to busy looking at her cold and sneering face." said Albus.

"She had a wedding ring on. From what I could see, it had a gold band with little emeralds in it. And they looked like they were set in an elaborate vine pattern...and there's something else. I looked up the design and the ring type in a wizard's jewelery book while we were having breakfast in the Great Hall. It's an heirloom femalia wedding ring, a ring that is often passed down from mother to daughter, or in this case the daughter-in-law. So my guess is that the ring once belonged to the mother of the husband, which he than gave to his wife as a wedding ring. If it was an heirloom malia wedding ring, it would have been passed down from father to son or son-in-law, but that isn't the case here since she's not a man."

"And you're telling us this why now?" asked Hugo.

"Because I believe that Albus might be telling to truth, Hugo. If Severus Snape is indeed Professor Witchazel's husband, than his wedding ring would be an heirloom malia wedding ring, a ring passed down to him by Professor Witchazel's father. One ring can't be a wizard's heirloom wedding ring while the other one isn't, Hugo, they would both have to be, it's tradition."

"Thanks, I'm glad someone believes me." said Albus suddenly butting in.

"You're sounding just as mental as Albus's thinking, Rose. Sometimes I think you know to much about certain things." said Hugo as he turned into the room where Potions class was taking place, followed by Rose.

"Sometimes I think Rose thinks to much period, but at least she believes me." said Albus as he walked into the room after.

** INT. POTIONS CLASS, THE DUNGEONS, HOGWARTS CASTLE - MORNING (SEPT. 2ND, 2018)**

After a few minutes, everyone began settling down at their places at the class tables. Scorpius Malfoy was in his usual place, snickering and laughing at students as he usually did while he sat with the rest of the Slytherin students at the front left table of the classroom. Ever since the castle was damaged in the Battle of Hogwarts 20 years ago, the rooms were now twice as large as before and the classroom tables twice as long. The classroom was set up as it normally was now, with long wooden tables set in rows horizontally next to one another on either side of the classroom and with a walkway set between them. In front of the tables where the students sat, there was a raised portion of the floor with a small table and a chair sitting on top of it and in the center where the walkway ended. The table was covered with a couple books, some parchment, an ink well and quill pen and a couple unlit candles. Each student had their own small cauldron set up in front of them, set atop small racks with a gas flame burning underneath them. Pretty soon, the air in the room was cloudy and filled with smoke and stream rising up from the cauldrons which were already filled with liquid, ready to be used to make any potion or elixir imaginable. The walls were lined with shelves full of glass jars, vials and potion bottles, which were filled with either some form of strange, glowing mixture or something slimy or eerie something that Albus didn't know the name of.

Albus than suddenly remembered the book that Cyrus had given him earlier and pulled it out of the carrying bag that he had lashed over his shoulder. Albus lied the book on the table in front of him, and ran his finger down the spine as he was supposed to in order to free the key to open it. Albus had yet to get a good look into the book, so he was curious as to what lied within it, other than the fact that it was a copy of Severus Snape's potion book. He placed the small sliver key in the hinge lock, turned it and opened the book.

Once he opened the book, Albus quickly hung the key around his neck and hid it underneath his robes. One of the first things Albus saw in the book were these strange and elaborate black markings, which were written upon some of the pages upon the empty corners, along the edges of where the writing was. Some of the markings were written on the empty outer edges of some of the pages, while some were written on the empty inner corners and the inner edges, where the pages connected to the binding. On some of the pages, the markings were written along the empty top and empty bottom of the pages, either above or below the writing. However, these markings were only found on some pages in the book, while most of the other pages remained as they were. He also noticed that a few of the markings were written in red, which Albus suspected were markings of great importance. Suddenly, Albus realized that he had saw such markings before, showing and embedded on the trunk of The Tree of Ancient Memory, and began to wonder if the Tree and the book were somehow connected in some way or another.

"What sort of book is that, Albus?" asked Hugo, glancing over at what Albus was looking at.

Albus quickly closed the book before Hugo could see much of what was in it and replied, "It's nothing, just a special potions book I burrowed from my dad to help me in potions class. He only wants me to look in it and use it since it's rather old."

Suddenly, the side door to the Potions class to the left slowly opened, creaking ominously. Everyone looked up and saw that it was the new Potions teacher, Professor Witchazel, stepping into the room and than closing the door behind her. The room suddenly went quiet as Verena silently stepped up onto the raised portion of the floor and turned to face the students, her blue robes breezing behind her as she walked.

After a brief pause, Verena soon spoke softly, with a dangerous and contemptuous look upon her face that was all to reminiscent of how Severus's face once looked while he was talking, "I'm here to tell you all here and now that I will not tolerate any cheating, note passing, foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class..." - Verena placed her hands into her robe pockets and began to slowly and ominously walk down the walkway between the tables as she continued, "You will all remain quiet and in your seats while class is in session, you will not speak unless you are spoken to and if you wish to speak to me you will raise your hand and I will answer you. If you have anything to discus with me you will wait until after class has ended, if you have notebooks you may write down notes in them and if you have potions books you may read from them when needed or when I ask you to read from them..." - Verena reached the end of the walkway, than turned around and walked slowly back up it again, keeping her hands in her robe pockets - "...Your classes with me will be rigorous and unyielding, you will not be favored over any other student, you will all be treated just like any other student in my class. While in this class, you will not question me or my methods nor will you complain or protest without adequate reason. While in this class, you will all maintain respect and good behavior and remain focused on your lessons without fail, there will be no slacking while you are in my class. Any rule breaking, foul language, foul nature or back talking in this class will result in punishment, which will be given in a manner consistent with the severity of the student's transgression. There will be order and discipline in this class...is that understood?"

"Yes, Professor Witchazel..." said the entire class together, who were already glaring strangely at Verena and showing signs that Verena was not going to be at all easy on them. And indeed, Verena wouldn't be easy on them. As the class commenced and continued, the students began to see and follow Verena's laid down boundaries of behavior as well as the extent of Verena's ruthless, cold and seemingly cruel treatment of them, ever reminiscent of how Severus Snape use to teach the students long ago. Verena was indeed throwing her weight around and proving to everyone in her class that she was someone not to be trifled with. Several times, she took away points for the pettiest of transgressions, while more sever transgressions resulted in Verena bullying the student or embarrassing the student in front of the whole class in some way or another, but very rarely ever going any further than mental and verbal torment.

**EXT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE BACK COURTYARD BEHIND HOGWARTS - AFTERNOON (SEPT. 2ND, 2018) **

But when it came time for Magical Archery class, the bullying seemed to escalate, being light at first, than becoming more sever, but very rarely ever going any further than a shove or a crack on the back of the arms or the shins from the limbs of Verena's ebony wood longbow. But Albus remembered from his dream that Verena had done the same thing to Cyrus and her other children while she was teaching them how to shoot an arrow and soon began to wonder if it was actual bullying or if it was her own way of teaching the students something that the students didn't seem to comprehend or realize, though Albus was still unsure.

"Ouch!" cried Albus as Verena cracked Albus firmly on the back of his head with her bow.

"Focus, boy! Focus!" hissed Verena at Albus and walked on. But every time a student would set himself or herself up to fire an arrow with their bow, Verena would do something to distract them, either hitting them with her bow, flicking their ear or slapping them on the back of their head in some way, not necessarily to hurt them, but to make it string a little. But for some unknown, unforeseen reason and much to the surprise of Albus, Verena would be particularly harsh to Scorpius Malfoy, which made it clear to Albus that Scorpius was not a favorite student of Verena's.

At one point in class, Scorpius was delighting in mimicking Verena by using his own flatbow to crack Albus on the back of the legs repeatedly while Verena wasn't looking. Verena soon caught sight of what Scorpius was doing and swiftly walked over and up behind him, grabbing onto the back of his robes and pulling him away from Albus, "You think these lessons are amusing, boy? We'll see about that."

Pretty soon, Verena was turning Scorpius into target practice, dressing him up in a costume with a bull's eye on the front of it and with an apple placed on top of his head, placing him under a tree in the center of the back courtyard. Scorpius was trembling with fear and whimpering uncontrollably, while the rest of the class, unable to stop themselves, were laughing hysterically. At least in this instance, the students were actually delighting in Verena's treatment of a student, particularly one as troublesome and mean spirited as Scorpius Malfoy. However, Scorpius's siblings were far from being amused as they watched. Albus was of course greatly amused to no end by how Scorpius was being treated by Verena, since Scorpius was now getting a taste of his own medicine. Soon, the first class of Magical Archery had ended and everyone went on to the next class.

**INT. TO EXT. VERENA'S STUDY TO THE BACK COURTYARD - EVENING (SEPT. 2ND, 2018)**

A couple hours later, within the dungeons underneath Hogwarts Castle, Verena was quietly settling into her new study for the evening after a busy day teaching the students. This was but one of two studies she would dwell in at Hogwarts, with the one in the dungeons having been the very same study that her husband Severus had once inhabited in. Her other study lied on the 5th floor, near where she, Severus and their children were staying at while at Hogwarts during the week, in the in-resident rooms. As it was when Severus had inhabited it, the dungeon study was cold and drafty, with the walls covered in shelves of jars full of strange somethings and other weird things that seemingly had no name. However, it now included a small fireplace, which was lit and providing the only source of light and warmth in the room, other than the candles that were lit on Verena's table. The room also included Verena's desk, some chairs and a pair of small wooden tables in the center of the room, which had upon them various items for making potions and other strange elixirs. Though potions class was being taught in the room next door, this study would also be used to teach potions when the other room was occupied. But at the moment, all the tables that were normally used to sit the students were being stored in yet another room, leaving the room virtually empty for only Verena to enjoy. Sitting at an armchair at her desk and near the lit fireplace behind her, Verena was reading an article in the book titled _Severus Snape: Scoundrel or Saint?_, including a short bit about an incident that had occurred in 1980, two years after Severus had graduated, including all the side notes that Verena had written in ():

'Former Headmaster of Hogwarts and Potions Master, the late Severus Snape _(My wonderful husband...Late? Who wrote this?)_, who was still a member of the Death Eaters and loyal to Lord Voldemort at the time _(I wasn't...not anymore...)_, had discovered the plot to kill fellow Hogwarts student, Lily Potter nee Evans, her husband, fellow Hogwarts student, James Potter, and their only child and presently an Auror of the Ministry, Harry Potter _(An Auror? How embarrassing for you, Mr. Potter...They are clearly laughing at you...)_. Severus Snape originally went to ask Albus Dumbledore, the late Headmaster of Hogwarts, to beg for the safety of Lily's family and son. But Albus Dumbledore felt that Severus Snape was acting selfish about Lily Evans, _(much like I had been acting selfish with my husband...now I feel guilty!)_ Never the less, Severus Snape was trying to save the woman that he loved, even though this love remained unrequited. _(I regret fighting with Lily now, more than my husband realizes)_.

Albus Dumbledore agreed to do what he could to protect Lily and her family, on the condition that Severus Snape would become his spy and change sides _(I changed sides to, but long before my husband did. My husband did not know of this until I told him a few years back...)_. Severus Snape agreed and soon he applied for a position at Hogwarts, namely Defense Against the Dark Arts _(My husband's favorite subject, The Dark Arts, though Potions would be considered an equal liking of his. My favorite subjects have always been Potions and Herbology...)_, but Albus Dumbledore, in fear that Severus Snape might be drawn back to the side of Lord Voldemort and The Death Eaters, denied Severus Snape this position and instead gave him the job as Potions Master at Hogwarts..._(I disagree. My husband would have remained loyal to Dumbledore no matter what class he was put in charge with...)_. This incident occurred prior to the clearing of Severus Snape's name and prior to the murder of Albus Dumbledore...'

"Are you still reading that foul and insufferable load of tosh, Belladonna?" said a cold and familiar voice silkily behind her.

Verena looked up from her book and smiled softly, then closed the book and hid it back inside of her desk as she spoke, "Forgive me, my dear husband. But I was curious as to what was being said about you in this book. You know how defensive I can get about you..." - Verena pushed back her chair and turned gracefully towards the large portrait of Severus Snape on the wall behind her. Severus was sitting on a sofa in his portrait and glaring out at her, "...and this was such a busy and exhausting day for me. Teaching two different classes two times a day is not what I call easy."

"Quite so, Verena. I myself have been in your place many a times in the past, and it has always left me in an insufferable and most disagreeable state afterwards."

"I wish you would take over Potions class for me, Severus," said Verena, staring alluringly up at him, "I delight in teaching Potions certainly, but having to do two classes twice a day in one day can be stressing for a woman like me. I would much rather focus all my energy and attention on one class and not on two."

"You know perfectly well that I can't do that, Verena, since I am still a wanted man with a bounty on my head," said Severus in a mischievous tone and smiled, "And besides, you seem to be handling things quite well from what I can see, so you don't need me. Sorry, but you're going to have to do this on your own."

Verena gasped, then narrowed her eyes at Severus and hissed at him, "Why you...! I ought to come in there and slap you!"

Severus's smile grew even larger, noticing that he was getting Verena roused up, which was amusing Severus to no end, "You applied for the positions, Belladonna, so it is your problem to deal with. Maybe you should have chose the classes you wanted to teach more thoroughly. A class that involves no magic at all perhaps, like Muggle Studies..." - Severus than giggled quietly.

"Why you...! How dare you!" hissed Verena once more, "You know I absolutely despise that subject, Severus!"

"Well, I rather liked Muggle Studies when I was in school, since almost my whole side of the family were nothing but Muggles. It seems that I was ten times better at Muggle Studies than you were. Shame, shame on you!" said Severus, grinning and glaring on.

This was the last straw for Verena. She stared angrily at Severus, than turned and ran out the door, going towards the 5th floor corridor. Knowing it wouldn't take long for Verena to reach him, Severus prepared himself for what was to come. A few minutes later, Verena appeared in the very same portrait that Severus was in, only to find that Severus was nowhere to be found.

"I know your still in here, Severus! I'm going to find you! Come out and face me!" hissed Verena as she looked around. Unbeknownst to Verena however, Severus had sneaked up right behind her and followed behind her for a few moments while she was looking around for him. Severus than playfully grabbed Verena from behind, wrapping his arms around her and falling down with her onto the sofa. Verena squeaked gleefully and flailed her limbs playfully, realizing what Severus had done. Severus had purposely roused her up so that she would come running to him, intending on having an intimate moment on the sofa with her. Verena then stopped flailing her limbs and than grabbed and held onto Severus, who shifted Verena up and onto his lap.

"Oh you're a fiend, Severus. You delight in teasing and tormenting me like this sometimes now don't you?" whispered Verena in a gleeful, playful tone, lying her head on Severus's shoulder and staring alluringly up at him, "Oh, why do I love _you_ so much?"

"Because _I_ love you so much, Belladonna. Are you going to kiss me now?" whispered Severus and looking alluringly at her with a smile in return.

"Yes, yes I am," whispered Verena, bringing an arm up and placing her hand on the back of Severus's head, bringing her lips up to his and kissing him passionately. A few minutes later, Severus and Verena had undressed one another and now had their naked bodies covered over by a blanket on the sofa. They would spend the rest of the evening in intense love making, passionate kissing and consummating on the sofa.

**INT. THE GREAT HALL, HOGWARTS CASTLE - MORNING (OCT. 5TH, 2018)**

Some weeks later, all the students gathered in the Great Hall for breakfast as they always did everyday. After breakfast, Professor Titch stood up from the staff table and started to make an announcement, "As you all know, the Halloween Banquet has always been a tradition at Hogwarts for over 700 years. This year however, it has been decided that we will not only be having the Holloween Banquet, but we will also be celebrating The Hogwarts Masquerade Ball." - the sounds of indistinct voices suddenly filled the air as the students watched and listened to Professor Titch - "...now The Hogwarts Masquerade Ball has been a tradition of Hogwarts since its Founding over 1000 years ago and gives the staff and students a chance to express their imagination as well as their raw artist talents. However, as the Hogwarts Masquerade Ball is a large and extensive affair, we are going to need some of the older students to help us with supplies, food preparation, organizing and in the set up. If anyone here wishes to volunteer in the preparations, you will come to my office after classes and I will assign you to a task."

After Professor Titch was finished with his announcement, Albus went back to looking at the Potions book that Cyrus had given him weeks before, looking at the strange markings that were written within it. Rose was sitting next to Albus, her nose buried in a book about ancient and lost wizard writing. Though Albus was getting better in Potions class by studying from the book, he was no closer to figuring out what the strange markings in the book were and what they meant. Albus had gone to the School Library several times since receiving the book and had yet to find anything remotely similar to the markings in the book or those he saw on the Tree of Ancient Memory earlier. Frustrated, Albus closed the book and went back to eating his breakfast. But as he was eating his breakfast, his eyes glanced over at the pages of the book that Rose was looking in and caught a glimpse of some markings that were similar to the ones in the Potions book.

Albus began to stare excitedly and spoke, "What sort of book is that, Rose?"

Rose looked up from the book and replied, "It's _Mallowin's Book of Ancient, Lost and Extinct Wizard Languages_. I checked it out weeks ago to help me in Ancient Ruins class."

"Can I look at it after classes are over?" said Albus.

**INT. THE HOGWARTS SCHOOL LIBRARY, HOGWARTS CASTLE - EVENING (OCT. 5TH, 2018)**

After classes, Rose gave the book she had been reading to Albus. He than took the book to the School Library and sat at a table in the far corner, placing the books on the table in front of him. Albus than opened the Potions book once more and compared the markings to the markings he saw in the book Rose had given him. To his surprise and astonishment, the markings matched and he now finally had a name for the writing, the Aeyuel Language.

"Wait, the Death Eaters have their own language?" said Albus, questioning himself.

"Indeed they do, Mr. Potter. It is a very old and elegant language. It sounds like something crossed between Latin and an Asian dialect. I'm not sure which Asian dialect though," said the voice of a woman. Startled, Albus instinctually closed the potions book and then looked up. Standing and leaning over the table in front of him was Professor Amphoria Beeblewing, the temporary Herbology teacher at Hogwarts. She was holding a couple rare Herbology books as well a book on rare wizard illnesses and wizard poisons close to her chest.

"Professor Beeblewing! I'm sorry, how long have you been standing there and listening to me?"

"Not long," said Amphoria, wearing her usual serene smile, "Forgive me for looking over your shoulder, Mr. Potter, but I couldn't help but look at the page of that book you were looking at. From what I could see, it looked like the late Professor Severus Snape's potions book, or rather the Half-Blood Prince's potions book."

"What makes you say that, Professor?" said Albus, "I didn't think you knew anything about Professor Snape."

"On the contrary, Mr. Potter, I know a great deal about him. I even went to school with him back in the day. And if I recall, he was a rather quiet and reclusive boy, didn't have many of what you would call '_friends_', they were more like acquaintances really. Lucius Malfoy and Verena Witchazel on the other hand, they were his friends and I knew him through his friendship with Lucius and through a boy named Victor Scabior as well. I know that book you have belongs to Snape, I recognize his style of elegant cursive, so aggressive and angular, a handwriting quite descriptive of one who has had a lonely, isolated, tormented and neglected childhood. Is _this_ the book that has been helping you to the top of your Potions class all this time? Wherever did you find it?"

"Forgive me, Professor, but I really need to get back to studying for my Ancient Ruins Exam," said Albus, trying to get Amphoria's attention off of the potions book, though it didn't seem to work much.

"You know, Mr. Potter, I should report you to Professor Witchazel about this. If she knew that you were using that book to get to the top of her Potions class, she would certainly punish you for it. But if I know Professor Witchazel, she already knows, since she was always on top of things while we were in school together and nothing much ever got past her. But I am far from being as non-understanding and insensitive to your wants and needs as Witchazel is, so I won't report you this time. But just make sure that I don't see you with that book in Herbology class, alright?"

"Yes, Professor Beeblewing, you won't. Thank-you."

"You're welcome, Mr. Potter. Now I suggest that you get back to studying for your Ancient Ruins Exam. I will see you in Herbology class tomorrow."

And with that, Albus nodded his head and Amphoria bowed her head respectfully in return. She then walked on with her books in hand, disappearing around the corner. With Amphoria now out of sight, Albus began to read what was written about the language in the book. From reading in the book Rose had given to him, Albus had discovered that the Aeyuel Language or the Ancient Language of the Death Eaters, came into existence sometime after the first Death Eater Order came into existence, over 1000 years ago. It had long been the main language of all Death Eaters, up until Lord Voldemort took control and possession over the Death Eaters sometime in the 1940s. During the First War of Wyvern's One, it was used by many Death Eaters as a form of secret code that was known only to and by Death Eaters, sending secret messages to one another as well as being written in the forms of burn marks and coded images. Albus had finally found a clue and an answer.

**INT. THE GREAT HALL TO 1ST FLOOR CORRIDOR, HOGWARTS CASTLE - MORNING (OCT. 6TH, 2018)**

The next morning, after breakfast was over, Albus and the other students were soon on their way to their morning classes. As Albus, Rose, Hugo, James and his friends were walking out of the entrance to the Great Hall, Albus soon stopped and glanced over at something. The others soon stopped, noticing that Albus had stopped.

"What are you doing, Albus?" said James, "We need to get to Potions class! Surely you don't want to get into trouble with Professor Witchazel again. I know I don't want to get in trouble with her."

Unbeknownst to James, Albus had spotted Cyrus and Evangeline standing in front of the Great Hall portrait of Severus Snape and were looking up at him and glaring. Evangeline was holding onto Cyrus's left arm and speaking indistinctly to Cyrus, who was speaking indistinctly back at her.

Albus, wearing a sad look on his face, then turned to face the others and spoke, "You lot go on, I'll be along in a couple minutes."

And with that, Albus walked towards Cyrus and Evangeline. James smirked and shook his head, while Rose and Hugo watched a moment before walking on with James and the rest of their friends.

Albus then found his way between Cyrus and Evangeline and stood, speaking to them, "Hey you two, looking up at your dad and comprehending something?"

"It's _you_ that should be comprehending something, young master Albus," said Cyrus coolly, holding his arms and acting distant, keeping his eyes fixed on Severus, "Have you not found out what the markings in the book were, the book I gave you?"

"Yes, I have. They are of the Aeyuel Language, the ancient Death Eater Language. But I'm still no closer to knowing what they are saying. I wish that someone would tell me what is going on and what the markings are saying."

"But we can't do that, young master Albus. It's _your_ clue and _your_ puzzle and it is _you_ who must solve it. The spell on the book dictates this. You're the one who must find the answer, young master Albus, we can't give it to you. Me and Cyrus already know it, but it is your turn to learn it." said Evangeline as she and Cyrus then looked at one another before they looked back at Albus briefly and then looking back at Severus, who was still sitting in an armchair in his portrait, looking away at his glass of wine and smirking shrewdly. Severus seemed as though he was not paying attention to the children and instead appeared as though he was deep in thought, but knew that the children were there and staring up at him never the less.

"But why must I learn and solve it, Cyrus? If you and Evangeline know all the answers, then why don't you tell me?" said Albus.

"We already told you, young master Albus, it is _your_ clue and _your_ puzzle, we can not help you solve it," said Cyrus coolly, looking at Albus, "But if you like, we can help teach you how to speak Aeyuel, but beyond that, we can not help you." - Cyrus than looked over at Evangeline, then they all looked back at Severus, who was now glancing over and looking at them shrewdly.

Cyrus than spoke softly and looked up at his dad's portrait, once again acting distant and deep in thought, "We wish you were walking out among us, Father."

And with that, Cyrus and Evangeline left their father's portrait and walked out the doors to the Great Hall, followed closely behind by Albus.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 17...**


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17: THE GIFT

**EXT. TO INT. THE GREAT HALL, HOGWARTS CASTLE - EVENING (MAY 21ST, 1976)**

It was a cold and windy evening over the rolling sodden hills of the Hogwarts school grounds. A late winter ice storm had come to Hogwarts, drenching everything in its wake in a shinning sheet of ice. And an icy blast of cold air from the Northeast was making it all the more harder to keep warm in the layers of winter robes that the students were wearing. Inside the Great Hall, every single candle, torch and fireplace was lit, keeping it as warm and inviting as the Great Hall had always been. At least in here, the cold didn't reach the students as much as it normally did down in the Dungeons, which were always known for being cold, dark and drafty.

"You really should eat something, Veri. We're going to have one of our last Quidditch matches come Saturday. Are you not excited about it?" said Marie Windbellows, a fellow Ravenclaw student, sitting next to Verena with a saddened look on her face, while Verena was brooding and sulking quietly, poking at her dinner with a fork. Even now, in her last year at Hogwarts, she was still thinking about what she had done to Lily and most importantly to her, what she had done to Severus. Severus had been one of her best friends for almost as long as she had been in school, but now that she had further driven a wedge between Lily and Severus, Severus was no longer seeing or speaking to her, no longer sitting with her under the tree they use to sit together under or taking early evening walks with her over to Hagrid's. Verena was now left on her own, without anyone that she considered as her friend to spend time with. Lucius Malfoy had graduated long ago, as did several of her other friends and acquaintances while many of those that were from her time had moved on to bigger and better things. Marie Windbellows was one of the last students from Verena's time that she knew.

"Forgive me, Marie, but I'm not much in the mood to eat something right now. I just wish to be left alone for the moment, thank-you." said Verena softly.

"As you wish," said Marie softly in return, "But just so you know, Lucius Malfoy is here today. He's thinking about taking up a teaching position here at Hogwarts."

"A teaching position? _My_ Lucius Malfoy? That doesn't sound like something that Lucius would want to do. Wherever did you hear something like that?" said Verena, looking a Marie puzzlingly.

"From some of the Slytherin students, I overheard them talking yesterday," said Marie as Verena looked away and began shifting her eyes and looking around in mild bewilderment, "Wouldn't that be nice for you, Veri? Being able to see Lucius and tease him again? It would be like old times for you."

"Did someone at this table mention my name?" said a familiar voice behind Marie and Verena. Verena and Marie looked behind them and saw that it was Lucius Malfoy, dressed in his fancy black robes and wearing a black hat, his snake-headed walking stick positioned next to him.

"Lucius, my old friend, I am so glad to see you. I didn't even know that you were here." said Verena, as her reaction was almost instantaneous when she suddenly stood up from the Ravenclaw table, gave Lucius a hug and then took Lucius by the arm. Lucius was of course mildly puzzled by the reaction, but never the less was delighted that Verena was once again showing an interest in him. Out of mild curiosity, Severus gave one brief and cold glance over at what Verena was doing from the Slytherin table, but than went right back to looking down at his Dark Arts book and eating his dinner.

Verena than spoke to Marie and the others that were sitting in front of her, "If you fellow students don't mind, Lucius and I are going to take a walk together for a while. Don't wait up for me."

And with that, Verena and Lucius left the Great Hall together and without another word spoken.

**EXT. THE BACK COURTYARD, HOGWARTS CASTLE - EVENING (MAY 21ST, 1976)**

In the back courtyard behind Hogwarts, Verena and Lucius were strolling side by side and arm to arm, walking over the icy cobblestone surface underneath their feet. With Lucius at the castle, it was almost as if the fight between Verena and Severus had never happened and as Verena had suspected, Lucius still had feelings for her.

"I have heard, Verena, that Severus is no longer speaking to you, may I ask why not?" asked Lucius.

"It's a long story, Lucius, and I'd much rather not think about it at the moment. Besides, you're here and from what I have heard, you are thinking about taking a position here at Hogwarts, may I ask which one?"

"A simple one..." - Lucius turned on his heels and faced Verena - "A position next to you...if you will have me."

"Now Lucius, don't you start _that_ again," said Verena with a soft giggle, moving around Lucius and walking on, "And besides, I know that your heart remains with Narcissa, it always has. Though I don't deny the fact that I find you to be a most handsome and interesting toy to play with." - Verena turned on her heels quickly and faced Lucius before placing her back up against a part of the back courtyard wall, bracing one leg up against the wall.

"You are a tease, Verena. All you ever do is tease me and it's driving me up the wall!" - Suddenly, Lucius quickly got on his knees in front of Verena and grabbed onto Verena's waist, looking up at her with wide staring awe, almost bewitched eyes, "I have a confession to make to you, Verena...I love you, Verena. I've loved and wanted you for as long as I've known you."

Verena's eyes began to widen as she spoke, mildly confused, "Lucius, what in the world...?"

"Please, let me finish. Forgive me if I am to forward about this, but I have to tell you now. You are a beautiful and wonderful woman, Verena, and truly a sight to behold. I love you and I must ask you...I want you to be my wife, Verena. I can take you anywhere you like, do anything you want me to do, go anywhere with you. I am a powerful and rich man, Verena. I could give you anything you would ever want or need."

"You...you love me _that_ much?" said Verena, suddenly taken aback by Lucius's sudden proposal of marriage to her and looking on in a saddened look of confusion. She then thought a bit further, "Wait, is _this_ why you've decided to take up a position at Hogwarts? So you can be with me? I...I never knew that you cared for me and loved me that much, you never said!" - Verena moved up closer to Lucius, placing a hand on his shoulder, looking down at him.

Lucius looked down towards the ground and continued, "I know, I should have told you sooner, before you found an interest in Severus, but I didn't know how to approach you on the matter. I suppose I was being a coward, though I know I shouldn't have been. But with Severus no longer seeing or speaking to you, I felt that I was the right time to confess to you. Please, Verena, will you give me the honor of accepting me as your husband? I know I can make you happy if you would just give me a chance."

Verena stood silent a moment, trying to take in all that she was seeing and hearing. She never knew that Lucius cared so much about her and she was tempted to accept his offer of marriage. But she knew that Narcissa had gotten there first and had long since taken Lucius's heart. The only reason she believed Lucius was confessing his love for her now was because something bad must have happened between him and Narcissa, much like something bad had happened between Verena and Severus. Lucius might have loved Verena, but he didn't love Verena the way Verena loved Severus, at least as far as she believed. But as tempting as Lucius's offer was, Verena felt that she could never love Lucius like she loved Severus, even though she did find Lucius to be a handsome and powerful catch.

After a long pause, Verena went down on her knees in front of Lucius and spoke, placing both her hands on Lucius's forearms, "...I would give you a chance, Lucius, I most certainly would...but I can't."

"But...why not?" said Lucius, who then looked up at Verena in confusion, unsure of what to say next.

"Please, before you say anything more, let me explain. I _do_ love you, Lucius, allot in fact, but only as a friend. And I am indeed tempted to accept you as my husband, for I know that you could make me happy and give me everything that I would ever want. But I know that in the end, it would never work out between us, for your heart truly belongs to Narcissa and not to me, just like my heart will always truly belong to Severus and not to you."

"But...Severus shunned you, he...hurt you and broke your heart...!" protested Lucius.

"No, Lucius," said Verena curtly, "I hurt him when I fought with Lily, it is Severus who I have hurt. I know, I shouldn't have teased and tormented you like this all this time, but ever since I met you, I found you to be a great and wonderful person, handsome and intelligent and more worthy of Narcissa than I could ever be of you. But in truth, I was teasing and tormenting you out of spite since I wanted to make Narcissa jealous of me. And all because in my eyes back then, I felt that she didn't deserve you and thought that if I could drive a wedge between you and her that I might actually have a chance to steal your heart before she did, feeling that I was more deserving of you than she ever was."

Lucius listened on in confusion as Verena continued, "Yes, Lucius, there was a time when I wanted to be the one to possess your heart. But over time, as I would watch the relationship between you and Narcissa develop and grow, I realized how selfish I was in trying to take you away from her, just as I am selfish now for trying to keep Severus away from Lily. I am nothing more than a selfish, backstabbing, tormented and bitter creature that doesn't deserve friends as wonderful and beautiful as you and Severus. Though I can not deny perhaps, that in another life and if things had turned out differently back then, I would have taken you as my husband. But I think that the only reason why you are confessing to me now is because you and Narcissa had a falling out, am I right?"

Lucius stood up once more, looking on in disappointment, then turned away from Verena, angered, "I found her in the arms of another man, Verena, a man that I never knew loved Narcissa as much as I did."

"I think I know who you're talking about, Lucius, and frankly I'm not surprised since I often saw Narcissa teasing and flirting with him when you weren't around and not looking. Victor Scabior, is it not?"

Saying nothing for a moment, Lucius pulled out his wand and glared at it sinisterly, then spoke, "I wish I had stopped Scabior when I had the chance, but there were to many people around at the time for me to truly protest about it, even though it didn't seem to matter to Narcissa then that she was breaking my heart. Now Scabior threatens to take Narcissa away from me!" hissed Lucius as he hid his wand back into his walking stick again, "She broke my heart, Verena, much like you're breaking it again now. I'm sorry that I ever came back here, hoping that I might find happiness and solace in the arms of at least one of the women that I loved. Now I am alone."

No, Lucius, you are not alone, you just don't realize it yet," said Verena, standing up and walking up behind Lucius, placing her hands on his shoulders once more. But Lucius quickly knocked her hands off of him angrily, continuing to look away in disappointment.

Verena continued, "Please, Lucius, you must understand, my heart is and always shall be with Severus, even though we are no longer friends. Forgive me, but I know that Narcissa took your heart a long time ago and even if we were to send our relationship further, you will only end up going back to Narcissa, just like I would end up going back to Severus...Go back to her, Lucius, it is obvious to me that you have yet to completely loose her, so you still have a chance of getting her back, unlike in my case I think now. Beg for her return, Lucius. Plead for her, pursue her and prove to her that you are the one for her," - Verena than turned away sadly and began walking off, "...Just don't go and make the same mistakes that I did and completely loose the one that you truly love."

And with that, Verena walked out of the back courtyard and towards the back entrance to the castle. Lucius then turned and looked towards Verena briefly, looking on sadly, before she completely vanished into the castle. It was clear to Lucius that Verena was right.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, FIRST FLOOR CORRIDOR - MORNING (MAY 22ND, 1976)**

"It's a shame to see you go, Lucius," said Professor Dumbledore, walking next to Lucius and escorting him down the first floor corridor, "I was hoping that you would stay on and take over as Dueling Teacher and Head Of Slytherin House. But you say that you've found a position at The Ministry Of Magic?"

Dumbledore and Lucius stopped at the entrance to Hogwarts Castle and turned to face one another as Lucius spoke coolly, looking towards the entrance a moment before looking back, seemingly distracted, "I have, and it is particularly more interesting and profitable than any position you could give me...sir..."

"Of course, Lucius. With a wizard of your power and standing, you will certainly succeed in political and ministry work of some sort, perhaps as a judge or government official. But as for myself, I remain settled in quite nicely as the Headmaster of Hogwarts and I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope that your new position in the Ministry will serve you well, Lucius." said Dumbledore as he looked at Lucius a moment. Lucius than noticed a familiar face looking in at him from out beyond the entrance to the castle. Much to Lucius's delight and surprise, Narcissa was waiting for him out in the main courtyard, looking on at him in a way that told him that she was disappointed with herself. The castle and everything around it was covered in ice and snow, looking ever more like an enchanted winter wonderland rather then early spring.

Lucius then gave a small grin and looked back at Dumbledore, "Indeed, it certainly will...now. Good day..."

and with that, Dumbledore bowed his head, turned and walked back down the corridor while Lucius walked off and out the entrance to the castle, unaware that Verena was watching from above, looking down and perched on the roof of the entryway. After a few moments of indistinct talking between Lucius and Narcissa, Narcissa and Lucius embraced one another, followed by a passionate kiss between them. Verena, looking on icily, sighed quietly and then looked away and off towards the direction of the Crying Ruins and the rolling snow covered hills beyond.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, ENCHANTED PORTRAITS, 5TH FLOOR CORRIDOR - EVENING (JAN. 9TH, 2018)**

As other people in their portraits slept quietly in the 5th floor corridor, Verena and Severus were laughing softly and chatting with one another in the portrait of Snape's bedroom, engaging in passionate love making and well earned pillow talk. As they lied naked in bed, covered up under warm blankets, Verena was flirting and teasing Severus, which quietly amused Severus to no end. Clearly giddy from all the love making, Verena and Severus would pause briefly, staring mischievously and alluringly at one another before they would start quietly giggling again, then smiling gently, amused with one another as they lied on their sides facing one another, there heads lying on the same pillow.

"Why do_ you_ love me so much, Verena?" said Severus softly as Verena stroked his hair.

"I think you already know the answer to that, Severus. And you, why do _you_ love me so much?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Belladonna." said Severus with a smile, sounding mischievous.

Verena then stopped stroking Severus's hair as she giggled softly, then grabbed onto Severus playfully as she spoke, "I guess we both know the answer to that question, we don't have to ask..."

Severus paused and smiled as Verena giggled softly once more, then Severus said with a slight shake of the head, "Uh...No..."

Verena then gave a brief soft giggle, then gave a wide grin as she cuddled up close to Severus, wrapping her arms around him in bed as much as possible, "Oh, I do love you, Severus, and it's a shame that we can't tell anyone about us. It's also a shame that we've forgotten the fact that we were supposed to go out tonight for your birthday."

"Oh, was _this_ my birthday present from you this year? Blimey, we are getting less for birthdays these days. Not that I am complaining, I'll take whatever birthday gift you give me."

"No, it most certainly is not!" said Verena with a scoff and a smile, "Now close your eyes..."

"Must I really? I'm having a hard time not seeing you."

"Oh, you...flirting to the last, you beautiful drink-driven stallion you. Now close your eyes and no peeking," said Verena softly as Severus grinned mischievously.

"You know I always find surprises to be a bit of a tease, Belladonna, but that is the whole point of it all isn't it?" said Severus coolly as he smiled mischievously and did what he was told. Verena, with a smile, then turned over and reached for a package that was hiding underneath the other pillow, turned back around and then brought it up to Severus's chest, "Now you can look."

Severus opened his eyes once more, only to look upon a small rectangular shaped package, neatly wrapped in solid black gift wrap with dark green iridescence on it and decorated with a elegant dark green bow.

"What is in _this_ then?" said Severus as he smiled at Verena and then sat up in bed, sitting the package on his lap.

"Open it and see," said Verena, looking up at Severus and smiling, still lying down with her head on the pillow next to Severus. Severus, looking back behind him at Verena, smiled mischievously down at Verena a moment before looking back at the package. Then, smiling and in a mildly excited manner, Severus began tearing off the gift wrap. Verena then sat up next to Severus and looked on silently as Severus opened the package. Inside the package, Severus gazed upon a long and shimmering black silk scarf, neatly folded up in the package. It was about 9 feet long and with an elaborate and beautiful blue iridescent pattern on it which ran down the center of it. The pattern on it was the same as the pattern on the handle of Snape's wand. It was also extremely soft and warm to the touch. But this was no ordinary scarf Verena had given Severus, but a special enchanted scarf would not only glow in the dark, but gave an extra strong boost of magical power to any spells and incantations that the wearer would cast, increasing the power of the spell or incantation hundredfold.

Severus glared at it a moment as he spoke, "I know what this is, I had one while I was in school long ago, when I got it as a present from someone. Though I never knew who gave it to me. It was my most favorite scarf in the whole world and I wore it often to help me in my Dueling and Spell Casting classes, until I lost it in Hogsmeade. It was the best present that I ever got...I even tried looking for another one, but to no avail. But however did you manage to find one, Belladonna? These types of scarves are extremely rare and very hard to find."

"I found it in Hogsmeade not to long ago. The previous owner thought that it was no good to anyone because he thought it was cursed, so gave it to me after I won a few chess games off of him. He obviously didn't know much about such scarves, which is a shame really, he missed out on using it...put it around your neck and see what happens."

Saying nothing more, Severus pulled out the scarf and looked it over a moment. As Severus held the scarf in both hands, he could sense and feel the power resonating from within the scarf, a seemingly ancient and familiar power that only Death Eaters seemed to sense and comprehend. Wide-eyed and smiling, Severus placed the scarf around his neck, which almost instantly began to glow a brilliant blue hue.**  
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Verena smiled as she watched the scarf glow around Snape's neck, then watched the light from the scarf fade as she spoke, "I knew that you would like it, since it suits you so well. Also, I can clearly tell that it once belonged to a very powerful Death Eater. And I also knew that you once had one, so got you another...or did I? Look on the label of the scarf and tell me what you find."

Severus, mildly puzzled, did what Verena asked and looked on the label, which was sown in one end of the scarf. Severus then noticed the mark on the label of the scarf and quietly gasped, "Hold on a moment, that's...that's my mark! This is the very scarf that I lost long ago! How did you ever manage to find it again? Wait, how did you know that this was once my scarf or that it had my mark on it?" - Severus shifted his eyes, mildly confused and mildly excited at the same time. Verena simply grinned mischievously and giggled softly in response as Severus looked at her mildly confused once more. After a brief pause, he spoke, "Oh, nevermind..."

And with that, Severus grinned mischievously and grabbed hold of Verena playfully and fell back on the bed with her once more, Verena squeaking gleefully.

**INT. TO EXT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, SCHOOL GROUNDS - LATE AFTERNOON (MAY 22ND, 1976)**

As the afternoon classes were coming to a close for the day, Verena gathered up her books and began walking towards the Hogwarts school grounds towards Hagrid's Hut. Verena needed to talk to someone after having disappointed Lucius by not accepting his proposal of marriage, and Hagrid seemed to be the best person to talk to at the moment. Though Verena was happy to have seen Lucius again, she was now feeling even more depressed, now having not just lost Severus's friendship, but Lucius's friendship as well it seemed. As Verena walked towards the back entrance to the castle, Verena began to overhear a group of Slytherin students chattering amongst one another in a circle and began listening in:

"I wish that I knew of a really good present to give Ambrosia for her birthday two days from now. She deserves something special after loosing her mother like that, and just before her birthday to." said the first boy in the group.

"It's a shame really, she was so close to her mother, now it's just her and her father though God knows how they are going to fair without having a mother around. Though I suppose that her father will marry again later, he is fairly well off. Isn't Ambrosia having some trouble focusing her magical powers in Spell Casting and Charms class?" said the first girl in the group.

"Not just in _those_ classes, but in Dueling class as well. Ambrosia very nearly hit me with a Jinx spell not to long ago. I'm telling you, she's a menace that girl. Maybe her wand isn't working properly for her for some reason..." said the second boy in the group.

"...Or maybe she's just distracted by all the trouble and torment she's been having lately. She's lost all confidence in herself, that girl. I wish there was something we could do for her." said the second girl in the group.

The first boy spoke once more, "Well, there is one thing, but I highly doubt that we could find one. Have any of you ever heard of an Aurianas scarf?"

The first girl spoke after, "I've heard of those, but only in ancient wizard legends. It is said that they were once spun from the silk of Fyremantulas, able to focus and enhance the magical powers of any wizard or witch. But I heard that only Death Eaters had them at one time and no one I know of has ever seen one. I also heard that they glow in the dark to light your way at night when you are without any other source of light. I also heard that in a fight, they can be used to pull magical energy from out of the surroundings of the wearer and then send that power against their opponent."

The second boy then spoke, "I've heard of those to, but they're only legends, those scarfs. I know I've never seen one. And besides, how would you recognize one if you saw it? It's not like they take pictures to identify them and all that."

The first boy spoke again, "I know. It's a shame they don't actually exist, cause I know that if they did, I would get Ambrosia one for her birthday."

The second girl spoke once more, "Well, we can't now, can we? Since they don't actually exist...do they?"

Verena quickly walked off, appearing as though she wasn't listening in. Verena knew all about the scarfs that the group was talking about, since she herself had once owned one in her long lost past, when her father, Alistair Witchazel II, gave her one for her birthday. But it had gotten lost, never, she believed, to ever be seen again. As she continued over the Hogwarts school grounds, she began to listen to a couple Gryffindor students sitting together underneath a tree nearby. It became obvious to Verena that these were students belonging to the Marauders, gawking at Verena as she passed them:

"Hey, check it out, it's Verena Witchazel," said the first boy student.

"Oh really, I don't see her. All I see is a traitorous Ravenclaw who hangs around with Slytherins. Did you know that she had a fight with Snivellus a few days ago? He told her never to see or speak to him again," said the second boy student next to him.

"Oh really? I thought I heard Severus's angry shrieks not to long ago. Perhaps we should go 'cheer' him up yes? Perhaps pull down his trousers for good measure..." said the first boy student once more.

The two Gryffindor students laughed as Verena narrowed her eyes at them and passed them. The students clearly knew that she had a fight with Severus and that she was no longer his friend.

**INT. HAGRID'S HUT - LATE AFTERNOON (MAY 22ND, 1976)**

"It's not right for the Marauders to pick on Severus like that, Hagrid, especially when it's his just trying to learn magic and live in peace," said Verena, acting gloomy and distant as she cupped her hands around the teacup which sat on the table in front of her while Hagrid poured freshly made peach tea into it, then sat down the teapot on the table when it was full. The inside of Hagrid's Hut was as cheerful and pleasant as it had always been. And with a fire in the large fireplace being the only source of light in the room, it made the setting peaceful and serene, despite the fact Verena's thoughts lied elsewhere.

Verena brought the teacup up towards her mouth as she continued, "I just feel so bad for him, Hagrid. I wish that there was something I could do to help him protect himself from the Marauders. If only I had not fought with Lily that day, we would have still been friends, me and Severus, even now. And having the children of the Accusers spying and wandering about in the walls of Hogwarts doesn't help either." - Verena took a sip of her tea, then continued further - "But like any children, they delight in eating candies and sweets so me and Severus did manage to pay them off with the fruits, candies and sweets that we left out for them that night when me and Severus first encountered them. Normally, saying that the walls have ears and eyes is just a metaphor, but in this case, the walls _literally_ do have eyes and ears, so we have to almost constantly be on our guard and mind what we say and do within the walls of Hogwarts."

"Well, yeah need not be worrin' about that anymore young Witchazel, with the spies bein' in the walls and all that," said Hagrid, sitting opposite of Verena at his table.

"How so, Hagrid?" said Verena, putting down her cup and looking puzzlingly at Hagrid.

"Well, an official order came down from the Ministry yesterday. The school staff has been ordered to sponge the walls and get rid of them before the end of the school year. We have been knowin' they've been in the walls for sometime yeah know. But what we don't be knowin' is how they got there in the first place. I was wonderin' if you might be knowin' young Witchazel, since you seem to have been knowin' that they were there all this time."

"I'm not that young anymore, Hagrid, but even I don't know the answer to that one. Though I highly doubt that sponging the walls will keep the Children of the Bitter Wood away for to long. Maybe for a few years perhaps, but that spell can never keep them away forever. It will work though never the less for now. I really hope the school staff doesn't hurt them even if they are considered pests." - Verena then sipped on her tea once more.

"Right you are, young Witchazel. And about wantin' to find a way to help young Severus, I think I might be knowin' what to do about that." said Hagrid as he got up from his table and walked over towards his cupboard, Verena looking on. After a few moments, Hagrid pulled something from out of his cupboard and turned to show Verena what it was.

"This might be able to help Severus a bit, young Witchazel. What do you reckon?" said Hagrid.

Verena's eyes grew wide as she looked down at the item in Hagrid's hand, then spoke, "Hagrid, I know what that is! But however did you find one?"

"It use to be belongin' to my great grandmother five times over. She was bein' a Death Eater back in her day. A good Death Eater though, before they all went south, in a matter of speakin'. It can be yours now if you be wantin' to give it to young Severus."

Verena gasped quietly, "Hagrid, you never told me that you had Death Eaters in your family, I never knew. But I can't take this from you, Hagrid, it belongs to you and your family. Do you not realize what _this_ is?"

"I reckon I do, otherwise I wouldn't be wantin' to give it to you to give to young Severus. I can't use it cause I don't want to. And besides, it's just sittin' in my cupboard collectin' dust and I reckon it needs to be takin' out and used. It bein' yours now, young Witchazel. Give young Severus a special gift, but don't you be sayin' it once be belongin' to me."

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, TOWARDS THE SLYTHERIN COMMON ROOMS AND INTO THE SLYTHERIN COMMON ROOMS - EVENING (MAY 22ND, 1976) **

"Hey Snivellus! Wait! We want to give you a present!" cried James Potter, who was followed along by Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew as they chased Severus down the corridor towards the Slytherin Common Rooms. Severus was running away as fast as he could, neither wanting to stick around or fight with James Potter and the Marauders. Once around the corner, Severus stopped a moment to catch his breath, only to hear James Potter speak out once more, "What's the matter, Snivellus? Don't you want a present? We have one for you. We even fished them out of the Black Lake just for you. Come out and get it over with." said James as he pulled out a small jar, which was filled to the brim with black-green Salamander-weed and crawling, sliver colored Itch-Worms. James intended to pour the contents of the jar onto Severus in order to make Severus itch uncontrollably and force Severus to have to go to Madame Pomfrey to get the antidote.

But Severus had no intent in letting James get a laugh at his expense, so was staying hidden and away from him. Severus quickly ran off once more, running towards the entrance to the Slytherin Common Rooms and going through it. Once inside, Severus was safe and able to calm down. His eyes then fell upon the coffee table sitting in front of the lit fireplace, where he beheld the sight of a small package, neatly wrapped in black wrapping paper and a elegant green bow. Severus, as if compelled to do so, walked up to the package and picked it up, looking it over. He then noticed a tag tied to it and read it: '_To Severus, may it help you find more confidence to stand your own ground..._'

"A gift...for me?" said Severus, mildly puzzled. Severus very rarely ever got gifts, so the sight of this package with his name on it was a bit of a surprise. But unbeknownst to Severus, Verena was hiding and peeking out from behind a drapery up on the staircase landing, watching Severus as he opened the package and took out the item that was in it and looked it over. It was the Aurianas scarf that Hagrid gave to Verena to give to Severus. As Severus's eyes widened, mildly in awe, he realized what it was and placed it around his neck, smiling gently as it glowed its brilliant blue hue. Verena then smiled softly, then hid herself completely behind the drapery once more, going out the hidden door behind it.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 18...**


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18: THE FLOORWALKER (PART 1)

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE SCHOOL LIBRARY - NOON (OCT. 11TH, 2018)**

After the morning classes had ended, Albus and his friends wandered off towards the school library, where Rose, Hugo, James, Fred II, Roxanne and others would spend some time studying up on Hogwarts school history. Albus on the other hand, was busy trying to figure out what the Aeyuel writing in the potions book that Cyrus had given him was saying, which was beginning to frustrate him to no end.

"Hey, Albus," said Hugo from afar at another table, "Why are you sitting over _there_? All the wizard history books are over _here_."

"I'm working on something over here at the moment. I'll study more for my wizard history exam later," said Albus, with the potions book wide open for all to look over his shoulder to see.

"But the wizard history exam is this afternoon. The potions exam isn't until next week. Why are you always reading and looking in that book anyway? You're already top of the Potions class. I'm even beginning to think that Professor Witchazel favors you," said Rose, sitting next to Hugo and looking around him at Albus.

"Because I have to...and who says that she favors me? She treats all of us the same, I highly doubt it."

"Listen to your cousin, my boy. You really shouldn't spend so much time looking at your potions book. You should be studying for you wizard history exam, not potions." said a familiar voice next to Albus. Albus slammed the potions book shut and looked up behind him to his left. Once again, Professor Beeblewing had found him looking in the potions book.

"Where do you keep coming from, Professor? Forgive me for saying this, but I don't need to study for my wizard history exam right now. I studied for it yesterday."

"I always come here during break time. But you studying for your wizard history exam yesterday is no excuse for not studying more for your wizard history exam today. Wizard history is just as important as Potions are, if not more so. Forgive me, Albus, I know that I am not your wizard history teacher, but if you spend to much time on a single subject, you will begin to lack in your other subjects. You are one of my best students in my Herbology class, but I have noticed some slacking out of you lately. If I recall, I saw you studying for your potions exam at breakfast today and now here again at break time. You've studied enough for your Potions exam for today. If you put the potions book away now, I will not take it from you, but if you insist on obsessing over your potions book, I will have to take it away from you."

"You will do nothing of the sort, Amphoria." said yet another familiar voice behind Albus. Albus looked behind him to his right and saw that it was Professor Witchazel, hissing at Professor Beeblewing.

"And why is that, Witchazel?"

"Forgive for saying this, Amphoria, but as you are not his wizard history teacher, it is not your place to say when and where he can study for his wizard history exam. And since I am his Potions teacher, he has my permission to study Potions for as long as he wishes. And if I recall, he has already studied plenty for his wizard history exam today, so he need not study more. Wizard history is nowhere near as important as Potions are, especially when it safeguards one from being poisoned or harmed by certain potions and elixirs when they are not taken properly."

"The boy is spending to much time on the subject and who says that Potions is more important than any other magical subject? And if you fail to realize, without magical herbs and Herbology, there would be no Potions!"

"Quite so, but you wouldn't be acting like this if Mr. Potter was studying for his Herbology exam now would you? You would encourage it and relish in it, so don't argue about what Mr. Potter should or should not be studying at the moment. And besides, this is break time, the students can study whatever they wish at this time. Now run along, Beeblewing, before the Headmaster finds out about this."

Amphoria narrowed her eyes at Verena and snorted, then walked off, disappointed about not getting her way. This made it clear to Albus that Amphoria was not always sunshine and dandelions, though he had never really seen Amphoria disappointed about anything before, so it was a bit of a sight.

"Thanks," said Albus with a mild air of contempt in his voice, looking up at Verena behind him, "For a moment there, I thought that Professor Beeblewing was going to take my potions book away from me. And I have yet to learn any of the Aeyuel Language in it."

"Believe me she would have had I not been here to step in and stop her from doing so. But you must forgive Professor Amphoria for that, Albus. She's been having a bad time as of late." said Verena softly as she turned back to Albus and looked down at him.

"Why is that, Professor? I've hardily ever seen Professor Beeblewing disappointed or angry before. Whatever is wrong?"

"Never you mind, it really is none of your concern, boy...and don't thank me! Now go back to you're studies." said Verena coolly and then walked off, sneering at Albus as she walked off. Albus got the hint that even though Verena had stopped Amphoria from taking the potions book away from him, she was still nowhere close to being friendly with him. Albus narrowed his eyes and scowled at Verena, following her with his eyes as she left out the doors to the school library. Albus then looked back down at the potions book and continued studying it. After a couple minutes, Albus turned a page, where he soon came upon the sight of a angered rant scribbled in bold, bright red ink. This scribbling said as follows: _'Oh, why wasn't I there to save them? TO LATE! If only I had known of this sooner, I could have saved them!'_

Albus looked at this writing puzzlingly, wondering what it meant. It was clearly written by Severus, but Albus had no clue what he was on about. The scribbling then continued: _'There were spirit lanterns, Mum had a few of them around the house! They should have worked! Why? I could have saved them if I had known of this sooner! Parished, lost forever, never to return to the world of the living! Mum, I miss you!'_

"What is this all about?" thought Albus, thinking that Severus must have gone nutter when he wrote the scribbling. The scribbling continued further: _'Broken? Destroyed! This could have been prevented. I could have saved them if I had known sooner! Anguish, Despair! The Book of Resurrections...The potion that would have saved them if only I had known sooner! Fire took them, fire would have brought them back...'_

"I see that you've finally found another clue, young master Albus." said an icy and familiar voice behind Albus. Albus looked behind him and saw that it was Cyrus Snape, looking down at him and cradling a couple books in his arms.

"What are you talking about? It's nothing more than a mad rant!" hissed Albus, narrowing his eyes at Cyrus.

"Well, if that's what you think than you'll never learn enough about Occlumens to understand them or the Aeyuel Language that's written in that potions book of yours," said Cyrus coolly as he sat down at the table next to Albus, sitting the books he had in his arms down in front of him. Cyrus than glanced down at what Albus was reading then continued, "Though I must admit, Dad was having a hard time emotionally when he wrote that. Unfortunately he wrote that down long after the Snape Family died in the fire that killed all within it except for my father, his cousin Abigail and the murderess who killed them, my grandfather's cousin Mapheria. Though one would think that Abigail had gotten the worst out of all that, though my father would come in at a very close second in a matter of speaking."

"Wait, Professor Snape's family died in a fire? I never knew of that. And how is it that this cousin Abigail you speak of had gotten the worst of it?"

Cyrus paused a moment and looked away, then looked back, staring sadly, "Well you see, young master Albus, Abigail was in the fire and survived it, whereas my father was away at school here at the time. He wasn't harmed in the same way that Abigail was. Which in some respects and aspects is far worse then what my father had endured then..."

Then, Evangeline ran into the school library, ran up to Cyrus and cried out, "Brother, come quickly! She's here!"

"What? Now? But she wasn't supposed to come here until after...!" said Cyrus to Evangeline, looking at her in mild confusion.

But all that Evangeline was doing then was pulling on Cyrus's robe sleeve, sounding and acting unusually excited, "There's no time for explanations! Just come, come quickly! Darius is already there waiting for us! Come on!" said Evangeline. And with that, Evangeline turned and ran back out the doors to the school library, vanishing back into the corridor beyond them as quickly as she appeared through them.

Cyrus then looked back at Albus and spoke coolly, "Come with me, young master Albus. There's someone that we want you to meet and something that you need to see."

Cyrus then picked up his books and left the table, turning and walking calmly off towards the doors to the school library. Cyrus didn't have to say it twice as Albus quickly followed, closing the potions book and hiding it away in his carrying satchel, looping the band around his neck and then getting up from the table to follow Cyrus.

But Albus soon stopped in his tracks when his brother James looked up from his study books and spoke, noticing him leaving, "Hey Albus, where do you think you're going? We have to get to the next class in 10 minutes."

Saying nothing, Albus simply looked at James in way that was telling him not to follow him and then shook his head before he quickly moved on and ran after Cyrus. Albus then vanished into the corridor with Cyrus.

**EXT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, SCHOOL GROUNDS TO HAGRID'S HUT - AFTERNOON (OCT. 11TH, 2018)**

Albus quickly caught up with Cyrus, who was now outside behind Hogwarts, walking over the school grounds and down the narrow, winding stone path towards Hagrid's Hut. Flanking Cyrus on his left, Albus noticed that Cyrus was blank-faced and acting a bit distant, as though deep in thought as he walked. Albus had walked down this path many a times to get to Hagrid's Hut in the past, but the reason why he was going to Hagrid's Hut and not to his next class now was still a mystery to him.

Once at the end of the path walking up the Hagrid's large wooden door, Cyrus then stopped and turned to face Albus, speaking coolly at him, "Now remember, Albus. Don't say anything about who me and my siblings are or who mine and my siblings parents are and why we are there. You are simply here to meet and introduce yourself, nothing more. And if she wishes to converse with you, just go with the flow and talk about whatever she talks about with you. Are you ready?"

Saying nothing, Albus nodded, though he still didn't know who or what Cyrus was talking about. Cyrus then turned to face Hagrid's door and knocked.

"Enter," said the elegant voice of a woman through the door. Cyrus then pulled open the door with both his hands and stepped back, the door creaking as it opened. He then walked in with Albus following in toe. Albus then turned around and pulled the door shut.

**INT. HAGRID'S HUT - AFTERNOON (OCT. 11TH, 2018)**

Inside, Hagrid's Hut was as warm and inviting as it has always been. But for some reason the shutters on the windows were closed, making the light from the fireplace as the only source of light in the room. Through the dim firelight coming from the lit fireplace, Cyrus began to look around, walking towards the center of the room.

"Who are you?" said the woman's voice once more, this time, is a softer, cooler tone.

Cyrus looked towards the direction from where the voice came from and spoke, "Forgive me, Madame, but we were wondering where Hagrid might have gone to."

Peering though the dim light in the room, Cyrus had came upon the sight of the dark outline of a woman sitting in the far corner of the room. She was shrouded with half her face covered over by a black sash. Though it was apparent that the woman underneath the shrouds and black sash had light skin. Soon, the bright, uncovered green eye of the woman soon glanced up at Cyrus then spoke, "Upon my word, another one? How many of you are there?"

Albus looked on puzzlingly as he had no clue as to what was going on or who the figure Cyrus was speaking to even was.

Cyrus soon continued, "Forgive me, Madame, but I know not what you speak of. I am only here to see Hagrid...and to meet you...of course."

"Why ever for?" said the woman's voice coolly, sounding smug.

"Well you see, Madame, me and my siblings who came here to the hut earlier have heard about you and about what had happened to you long ago. And just so you know, I am the oldest of the three, the firstborn if you like."

"And so much like your father you are when he was your age."

"Pardon...Madame?" said Cyrus, looking on icily and standing with his hands behind his back as Albus continued to stand next to him.

The woman paused as moment, then continued, "Forgive me, my dear boy. But it has been to long since I have seen your father. I knew him quite well when he was a child...I felt for him, the way his father would treat him was uncalled for. But I could not take him and raise him as my own after his parents died, which his why he went to my Aunt Adelaide to live with her after the fire. But knowing your father like I did, I knew that he would not show himself and face me, even though he knows he should. So he sent you and your siblings to me, fearing what would happen if he were to face me. But your father must know by now that I do not hold anything against him as it was not his fault, even though he believes it was. He should no longer feel about me the way he does now."

"But my father still feels that he should have been there and not here at Hogwarts. Though by the time he found out, it was to late. He feels guilty for not being there to save you and his family from the fire. And as much as my father wants to see you again, he can't for fear of opening old wounds, which is why me and my siblings are here."

"Quite so. He wanted me to see you and your siblings, since I am unable to see him. Please thank him for me when you see him again. My family will certainly be pleased to know that your father is still around and that he has a new life with another, even though we know him to be dead."

"Indeed, Madame. You know..." - Cyrus paused in mid-sentence and then gently pulled on Albus's robe sleeve, grabbing Albus's attention as he continued, "...my father has chosen a champion to help in the cause, perhaps even fight in it in the future. I thought you'd might want to meet him."

"I see. And you've brought this champion with you it seems. Let him come forward so that I may see him better." said the woman's voice and with that, Cyrus stepped back a bit and gently nudged Albus forward, who still remained unsure as to what was happening. Albus walked up to the woman, who brought out both of her hands and brought both of Albus's hands into hers.

She then looked at Albus and spoke, showing only the right side of her face, "I see that you have your father's eyes my dear boy, I'm not surprised. They were your grandmother Lily's eyes as well. I knew your grandparents well while I was in Hogwarts with them."

"You knew my grandparents? But I don't think I've ever met someone apart from my father whoever knew my grandparents. And he was only a baby even then."

"Indeed, my dear boy. It was a shame what had happened to young Lily and James that night, as well as to your father Harry, it was quite tragic. But I have since had the privilege of watching your father grow and develop from afar into the legendary and powerful wizard that he is today. But I find it strange that Cyrus's father didn't choose your father as his champion and chose you instead. It seems that Cyrus's father still has a grudge against your father for some reason. Though by now Cyrus's father should have let bygones be just that and since forgiven your father, just like in the case of myself. But Cyrus's father is an Occlumens, therefore he must be spoken to and treated all the more differently in some respects."

"I know. Occlumens like Cyrus's father need to be treated and handled a certain way sometimes. And you need to gain a fair bit of trust with Occlumens before you can get close to them," said Albus, who was finding it fairly difficult not to speak about Severus in the first and last name terms, even though the woman sitting in front of him clearly knew who she and Albus were talking about, but Albus kept envisioning being tied to the Whoomping Willow if he did not do what Cyrus had said, so he didn't want to press his luck. Albus continued, "You know, Madame, I have yet to lay eyes upon Cyrus's father in the flesh but Cyrus and his siblings keep saying that I am not ready."

"And it's true of course. You are indeed not ready, but once you are ready, I have no doubt that you will see Cyrus's father in due time," said the woman as Cyrus walked around where the woman was sitting and went to open up the shutters over the window next to her, letting in a blast of sunlight from the outside.

Suddenly, Albus was no longer seeing just the outline and the black shape of the woman and was now seeing the woman in full light. From the half of the woman's face that he could see, Albus could see that the woman indeed had fair skin and was an attractive, beautiful older woman with the slender build. She was wearing a long, elegant and tightly fitted purple-violet dress underneath a long and flowing black cloak, with a long black silk scarf covering the left half of her face. Albus then realized that the woman had long, thick, straight black hair. Like Verena, the woman had long pointed fingernails like those of an old hag, and like Verena, they were clean and well manicured. The woman appeared to be somewhere in her early to mid 50s, if not a bit older, well within the age one would be by now if having gone to Hogwarts with Albus's grandparents.

Cyrus soon stepped back towards the woman as she continued, "These sort of encounters must take time before they can occur. Trust must be earned as well as patience learned. If certain things are done to soon, it will take even longer before they can occur properly. Certain things must never be rushed my dear boy."

"But I have so many questions. So many things that I want to know. I have heard so many stories and I have wanted to meet Cyrus's father since I was about 5 years old."

"Many have heard stories and have wanted to meet Cyrus's father since discovering the truth about him nearly 20 years ago. Many also realize how blind they have been of him and how they have cruelly misjudged him all those years ago. I have no doubt that many students at Hogwarts, wizards and witches alike have grown to respect Cyrus's father and continue to praise him for all that he's done to protect your father and help to save the Wizarding world. But Cyrus's father has suffered much throughout his life, much like _I_ have suffered. Though Cyrus's father doesn't have a constant reminder of that suffering upon his skin like I did back then...and still do now."

Suddenly, the woman then let go of Albus's hands and pulled back the long black scarf that was covering up the left side of her face. It was at this moment that Albus's eyes widened and saw the full extent of what the women was speaking about. The entire left side of her face was covered in long scares from being severely burned. It appeared as though the burning claws of some fierce and wicked animal had raked down the entire left side of her face, starting from the left temple, running down over the left front of her face, over her left eye and down the left side of her neck, tampering off and ending at the end of the left shoulder where the left arm attached. Though the structure of the left side of the woman's face appeared just as intact as the right side was, Albus could see that the woman's left eye was white and with its iris whited-out, making Albus believe that she was blind in that eye.

"As you can see, my dear boy, I have since grown accustomed to the cruel glances and mean gossiping that occurs when those in question are blind to the truth and fear the unknown. But don't think for a second that I am blind in my left eye, for I'm certainly not, even though it may appear so," said the woman as Albus stood silent for a few seconds, listening to the woman speak, believing that the woman had somehow read his mind and knew what he was thinking. The woman continued, "I may no longer see normally out of my left eye, but I can still see things that those with normal vision can not. For example, I can see the auras of people and those who hide under invisibility cloaks, among other things. It is both a gift and a curse given to me in the fire that almost killed me. Luckily for your friend Cyrus here, his father was not there when his family died."

Spurred on by curiosity and a need to help the woman, Albus started to pull out his wand, thinking that he could at least remove some of the scaring that was upon the woman's face, but the woman brought her left hand up and shook her head briefly, stopping Albus in mid-draw. The woman continued, "With regret, my dear boy, this is not the kind of scare that can be healed with the usual manner of healing spells like others can be. And I wouldn't want to be healed anyway, even though I should think otherwise. You see, my dear boy, I've grown to see my scare as a badge, a mark of pride in a matter of speaking, so your attempt at healing it would be needlessly unnecessary."

Albus quickly placed his wand back, then brought his arms down to the side as he spoke, "But doesn't it hurt? I mean the glances and a gossiping?"

"It did at first, but not anymore. Though I would much like to seek revenge on who and what had given me this scare in the first place and I am in hope that either you or Cyrus's father will avenge me in some way in the end. Though my anger in that light has not changed, everything else has become merely water under the bridge," said the woman with a brief pause, "I must admit though, Cyrus's father was right in choosing you as his champion, no doubt in hopes that you will become as powerful of a wizard as your father is, if not more so in the end. I know that I find you to be a proper champion to help and maybe even fight in the cause, even though you are in need of some sharping up as it were. But there is indeed enough raw energy and drive there to make me believe that you are with much potential. Now if you two don't mind, I have another meeting with an old friend to go to and you two have afternoon classes to attend to. Here are a couple late passes that I took from the headmaster just in case."

The woman gave the late passes to Cyrus as Albus continued,"But, Madame, what do you mean by me being...?"

Knowing what was next to come out of Albus's mouth, Cyrus swiftly gave a sharp tug on the back of Albus's robe, stopping Albus and making him narrow his eyes at him, staring coolly at one another.

Cyrus then looked back at the woman and continued, "Thank-you, Madame. My father will be pleased to know that you approve," - Cyrus then turned and spoke to Albus, "Come along, young master Albus."

Being overly curious and more confused than ever, Albus had to be pushed and pulled by the arms a bit by Cyrus in order to leave Hagrid's Hut with him.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE FIRST FLOOR CORRIDOR - AFTERNOON (OCT. 11TH, 2018)**

"Here, you might need this. I will see you at dinner later," said Cyrus as he flanked Albus down the 1st floor corridor, handing one of the late passes to Albus. Angered that Cyrus was preventing him from protesting and getting any real answers, Albus clinched his teeth and narrowed his eyes disagreeably at Cyrus, snatching the late pass from Cyrus and stuffing it in his left robe pocket.

Albus then hissed out, having had just about enough of Cyrus's torment, "You tell me here and tell me now, Cyrus! That was Abigail wasn't it, Severus Snape's cousin?"

Cyrus smiled as he spoke, "Yes, that was my second cousin, Abigail Prince. Though I must commend you on keeping your tongue throughout all that, I could tell that you wanted to say something, even though you knew perfectly well you weren't supposed to. There was no need in pointing out the obvious, young master Albus, for it was already known. Which is the reason why I told you not to say anything then."

"Why was she addressing Severus like that? _Cyrus's father_, she was just aching to speak of him by his name and frankly I was to. But she didn't, why?"

"I already told you, young master Albus, it was already known. And she was playing along as it were. I hope you weren't taken to aback by the sight of her scaring, though I admit it is a bit much to look at. But Abigail is special, she has the Auranas Sight, though how she got it in the fire that night long ago lies a bit beyond me a the moment."

"The Auranas Sight, what is that supposed to be then? And what you mean that I am Severus's chosen champion? And what is this 'cause' she was talking about? Tell me now!"

"Didn't you hear or listen to anything she was saying back there, Albus? She already told you what the Auranas Sight does and that's all you need to know or care about for now. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get to the next class and so should you. Good day..."

Albus opened his mouth, but quickly closed it again, scoffing. Cyrus was only answering to one of his questions, which was irritating Albus to no end. Knowing all to well that Albus wanted to blow up on him further and saying nothing further, Cyrus then smiled mischievously, acting smooth and bowing his head at Albus, then walked on. Cyrus clearly had an mental leash on Albus, for he knew that Albus hadn't forgotten about the Whoomping Willow and the chances that he might find himself tied to it someday if he did or said anything that either Cyrus or his other siblings didn't approve of. Though this form of bullying being projected at Albus by Cyrus was not necessarily physical, the suppressive playing of words, Occlumens-style verbal and mental manipulation and mild mental anguish was enough to drive Albus up a wall. It continued to be clear to Albus that Cyrus was indeed Severus Snape's son and would no doubt become more and more like his cynical, sarcastic and sneering father in the future.

After watching Cyrus walk off down the corridor alone, Albus and started to turn off into the corridor that he and Cyrus had stopped in front of. But as Albus turned to walk down the corridor, he froze when his eyes fell upon the sight of a cloaked figure that was just stepping out into the corridor at the far end. Though the figure was at least 35 feet away from him, Albus knew all to well who the figure hiding under the cloak was. Soon, the figure brought down its hood and looked towards the direction where Albus was standing. Once again, Albus was seeing and looking at Severus, only this time Albus was not dreaming. After a few seconds of staring at one another from afar, Severus looked back forwards and continued, vanishing into another corridor. Albus quickly ran up to the entrance of the corridor, trying to catch up with Severus and confront him, but to no avail. Severus had once again vanished from Albus's sight. Albus stood at the entrance of the corridor for a moment, wondering if he would ever find Severus and get the answers he so greatly needed.

**EXT. THE DARK FOREST, DIRT ROAD - EVENING (OCT. 11TH, 2018)**

After a day of visiting old friends and acquaintances, Abigail Prince was now riding within a horse-drawn carriage on her way back to Hogsmeade to join her husband and two sons who were waiting there for her. She sat quietly and smiled softly, looking down at an old enchanted picture of when she and Severus were together on a picnic with the Prince family years ago. Even now, after all that had happened to them and between them over the years, Severus was then and still remained to this day as her most favorite cousin of all. Unbeknownst to Abigail however, she was about to encounter danger and peril while on her way back to her family. As she began to listen to the sounds of the ground underneath the hooves of the horses pulling the carriage, she soon began to notice that the forest around her was seemingly to quiet on a night that was with a full moon. Though she could hear a breeze blowing through the tangle of tree branches as she passed, no other sounds could seem to be heard, apart from the carriage itself and the hoof beats of horses.

In the past, many wizards, witches and magic folk alike have come to Abigail for help and guidance, due to her special sight. It was thus that she had since grown a reputation as being not only one of the best Seers in the Wizarding world, but also for having a type of sight that no other wizards, witches or magic folk skilled in Divination seemingly had. But on this night, another group was seeking her sight for an entirely different purpose, a purpose that only with Abigail's help that they were able to fulfill. Suddenly, Abigail began to hear the sounds of children's laughter which seemed to come from just within the forest edge. It was a type of laughter not unfamiliar to Abigail, for she had heard it before. Hiding the picture she had away in her right robe pocket, it took Abigail only 3 seconds after to pull out her wand and aim out towards the tree line beyond the window to her carriage, as the children's laughter grew louder.

Soon, the carriage driver, Alistair, was alerted to the sound of children's laughter and stopped the carriage. Abigail soon cried out, "Alistair, No! Please don't stop! Drive on, please!"

But her words were falling on deaf ears as the carriage driver pulled out his wand and suddenly dismounted from the carriage, turning and walking towards the tree line. But as Abigail continued to protest and then attempt to leave the carriage, the locks on the carriage doors suddenly locked and jammed on their own, as if a spell had been placed over them suddenly. She soon tried to open the carriage windows wider so that she could climb out, but they to had jammed as well.

Abigail continued to protest, "Alistair, please! Get back on the carriage this instant and drive away as fast as possible! We're in grave danger! Please, stop!"

"It's alright Madame, it's just children laughing...only children," said Alistair nonchalantly as he looked back at Abigail briefly, then looked back towards the dark tree line again, "So where are you children hiding then? Don't you know that it's not safe for you to be out here at this time? Come out, come out where ever you are! Don't make me come in there and come after you!

"Alistair, listen to me, stop being so stubborn and get us the hell out of here now!" said Abigail as she continued to tell Alistair to get back to the carriage and drive off, but he still wasn't listening.

"There is no time for this playing around, come out of there this instant!" said Alistair as he silently cast the spell _Lumos_ and began to light up the tree line with the tip of his wand.

It was clear to Abigail that Alistair either wasn't listening to her or was in some way mesmerized by the laughter and being drawn away from the carriage. For a few moments, nothing seemed to happen as the children's laughter continued, growing louder and louder as Alistair continued to draw closer and closer to the tree line. Suddenly, the children's laughter stopped. Abigail only had a few seconds to see Alistair fall to the ground, seemingly dead, when a large, beastly creature suddenly leaped out of the tree line and attacked him. The creature in question was Mortisursal, the large creature that appeared to be a combination of a polar bear and a wolf. Mortisursal had seemingly killed Alistair in cold blood was now covered in a splatter of Alistair's blood. The horses quickly began to panic and lurched forward, pulling Abigail quickly away from Mortisursal as he stood over Alistair's body. Mortisursal then looked up and snarled, showing his sharp teeth and bloody maw as the carriage sped off. Mortisursal then roared loudly and began chasing after the carriage.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 19...**


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19: THE FLOORWALKER (PART 2)

**EXT. THE DIRT PATH TO HOGSMEADE, THE DARK FOREST - EVENING (OCT. 11TH, 2018)**

As Mortisursal began to chase after the fleeing carriage, Abigail, in a desperate attempt to gain control over the carriage, once again attempted to free herself from the inside of the carriage. Aiming her wand at the locks on the carriage, Abigail cried out, "_Aloha Mora_!", sending a small bolt of light to the lock, causing it to unlatch. She then flung open the door, then slowly and cautiously, while the carriage continued to move at a frantic pace, Abigail climbed out of the door and hung on the side of the carriage; she slowly edged her way to the front of the carriage and climbed up onto the platform where the driver had sat earlier. She quickly grabbed onto the reins and began to slow down the carriage just enough to gain control over it. The thunderous hooves and loud neighs coming from the horses still resonated over the dark countryside as Abigail continued to flee from Mortisursal, heading towards Hogsmeade as fast as she could. Abigail looked behind her for only a moment, thinking that Mortisursal was still on her trail. But as she looked back forward again, she soon noticed glowing blue beings sitting next to her on the platform. She did not remember them being there a second ago as she looked back.

As she stared in blank confusion as the blue beings began to surround her while on the moving carriage, it didn't take her long to realize that these beings were children of the Accusers and soon realized that she had wandered into a trap they had set for her. Suddenly, Abigail began to here child's laughter again and as the moving carriage began to turn around the bend in the dirt path, the laughter grew louder, followed by a brief scream which filled the air. In the first second, before the carriage had turned the bend, Abigail was on the carriage with the blue beings, but in the next second, all that was left after the carriage turned the bend was the carriage and the horses galloping off into the darkness. Once again, all had fell quiet and Abigail was nowhere to be seen.

**EXT. AND INT. GODDRIC'S HALLOW, LILY AND JAMES'S HOUSE - EVENING (OCTOBER 31ST, 1981)**

"I had a wonderful time today, Verena. I thank you for letting me see Snape one last time and make amends with Snape. I know he still feels guilty about not being there when it happened. But he mustn't feel bad about it anymore. Now I just want him to watch over Harry in my honor." said Lily as she and Verena walked slowly back to Lily's and James's house by lamplight.

"Quite so, and you are indeed welcome, Lily. I did delight in seeing you and Severus enjoy one another. And I had fun to." said Verena, flanking Lily down the path with lamplight in hand.

"So you would not be offended if I ask you to stay close afterwards would you, at least until Snape and Dumbledore come along?"

"Certainly not, especially since you now know what you will be facing up against soon...and later. I had no doubt that you would want to join in the cause, since so much is at stake."

"I know, but how does it work? It certainly can't be a spell since no spell can bring back the dead."

"True, no spell alone can bring back the dead, but who says that it can't be done with other forms of magic involved? That's the interesting bit about being a master at the ALPs, you learn about so much more then you ever thought was possible. But it only works to an extent you see, it's not limitless, no magic is limitless."

"Quite so, but will it work?"

"Certainly it will, the ALPs are a very powerful form of magic. But it can't stop death from happening and regrettably your death is a fixed point in Wizard history. It can't be changed, not until after it has gone full circle. I know, Lily, that you have to die, but I can still save you if you will let me. I saved Severus by using the Resurrection Potion, I can certainly save you with it as well..."

Suddenly, Lily stopped and turned to face Verena, pausing for a moment before she spoke, "Yes, you could save me in the same way that you saved Severus, but I don't want you to."

"Why not?" asked Verena softly, barely speaking above a whisper.

"Because I know of the heavy burden and what must be done to maintain the manner of life that you and Severus live. You and Severus are cursed, Verena. Oh certainly, you don't age and will not die, but only if you keep taking the potion every eight years. You must also constantly keep three steps ahead of death and rail against anything and all that it sends towards you. You and Severus are never really at peace are you?"

"You mean...you know of them, the things that haunt me and my family? But, you never said."

"You never asked. And I know that you don't get something for nothing, even more so in you and Severus's case. So let me ask you this: Is it not the better path to simply let death take you when it's your time so that you could be at peace then to rail against it to where it will constantly pester and torment you to the point where you are unable to be at peace? I'm sorry, but as tempting as your offer is, I must decline."

"But...your son. Do you not care about his wants and needs?" said Verena, mildly confused, holding the lamplight closer to Lily.

"I worry about him all the time, Verena, and will continue to worry about him even after I am dead. Yes, I know of his wants and needs very well, but this is the hand that has been dealt to me and my family. It can not be changed or postponed, it must happen if wizard history is to maintain on its current course. And even if I were to become a Once-Dead like you and Severus, I still wouldn't be able to stop what will happen to my son and grandson in the future. Like my death, it is a fixed point in wizard history."

"Quite so, but at least you will be there in some way to help them. Maybe not in the physical sense as it were, but in other ways."

"I know and I only hope that it will work when the time comes. I want to be there when my son and grandson are..." - Lily began to cry as she turned away, her voice cracking as she walked away a couple steps, then stopped and continued, "...it's just that I want you to assure me that it will work and that I will be there when the time comes."

"Do not underestimate the power of the ALPs my dear. As you know, the cause is gathering forces on both sides everyday. In a few years time, when both sides are ready, you will be there along with Professor Dumbledore, Fred Weasley and others, who have agreed to join in the cause. And like you, I asked for their permission before I took locks of their hair. Unfortunately, Professor Dumbledore reluctantly agreed, wishing to be left alone in peace, whereas Fred Weasley kept on worrying and babbling on about leaving George and his family, but agreed never the less."

"You mean, Professor Dumbledore is dead?" said Lily, mildly stunned.

"In the future, yes. And you've already heard and seen about some of Harry's friends, Fred Weasley being among them, though he also dies in the future as well. I'm afraid that Harry will be facing many a hardships after you and James have gone. Harry will be made to go live out much of his early childhood with your sister Petunia and her husband. He will be placed in a cupboard under their stairs, locked away within it when he does something wrong and even when doing something right, he will be treated fairly poorly even still. Though as you have seen, he does eventually find happiness in the future. Are you sure that you don't want me to save you?"

Lily paused a moment, once again turning and facing Verena, "I am sure..." - Lily then brought out her hand and said, "May I burrow your pair of enchanted scissors for a moment please?"

Saying nothing more, Verena opened and closed her mouth, then pulled out her pair of enchanted scissors from one of her robe pockets and then handed them to Lily. They were the same pair of scissors used to cut off a lock of Dumbledore's hair after his fall from the Astronomy Tower and a lock of Fred's hair after he died in the Battle Of Hogwarts. With one snip of the scissors, Lily cut off a lock of her hair from a place on her head where it would not be noticed missing. She then handed the scissors and the lock of hair back to Verena, then smiled and gave a single nod.

Verena then looked coolly towards Lily's and James's house a few yards away. Then, as both Verena and Lily looked briefly up towards the sky at the sounds of thunder and the flashes of lightening, Verena then looked coolly back at Lily and spoke, "The storm is coming and Voldemort is near, it is time. Go straight to Harry and give you're goodbyes quickly once you get in there. Remember, Harry must survive if he is to live to fight and kill Voldemort, it is his destiny. Don't tell James about what will happen, he will only try to stop it if he knows, and he mustn't."

"I know...James mustn't know, though I wish he would." said Lily, looking once again at Verena and with her eyes full of tears. Lily then looked back over her shoulder towards the house, looking on silently. And with that, Lily said her thanks and farewells to Verena, then turned and walked off towards the house, thunder crashing and lightening flashing all around her.

As Verena watched Lily vanish into the house, Verena quickly climbed a tree and sat among its branches, waiting for the event to unfold. But Verena, knowing Lily so well, knew that Lily would tell James everything as to what will happen and all that she had seen. Though Verena knew that Lily would make it clear to James that he couldn't interfere, as his death was fixed, just as Lily's was. An hour later, Voldemort appeared from the dark treeline, along with several other Death Eater followers walking along behind him, including among them Belatrix Lestrange. All had their wands drawn, ready to strike at anyone or anything the stood in their way. Soon, Voldemort turned to his followers and spoke to them, telling them to stay outside and not interfere while he went inside Lily's and James's house. Verena was helpless, unable to say or do anything as Voldemort crept closer to the house. Once Voldemort was inside the house, much began to unfold very quickly.

Verena and Voldemort's followers could hear the commotion going on inside the house as flashes from wands could be seen outside the windows. Verena could hear that James and Lily managed to put up a good fight, but in the end, only Harry remained alive, protected by a spell that Lily had placed upon him just before sacrificing herself to save him. Lily's and James's lives had come full circle. After Voldemort and his followers left, Verena had only a few minutes to enter into the house and check on Harry. Inside, the house was dark, with only the flashes of lightening lighting up the inside of the house. Verena slowly and cautiously crept over the floor, heading towards Harry's room.

Suddenly, with a flash of lightening, Verena stopped and looked down at the floor, noticing a shape lying upon it. She soon realized that she had came upon the body of James Potter, who still had his eyes open as he died. Verena kneeled down next to the body of James and placed a hand on his chest, looking on at him with a mild look of sadness and sympathy on her face.

"You have a role to play in this to, my old friend. You must not be left out," said Verena as she once again took out her enchanted scissors and cut off a small lock of James's hair. She then took the scissors and stuffed them in her robe pocket once more. Like all the locks of hair she collected, looped string around them which were color coded to tell her whose hair belonged to who. After doing this with James's hair, she glanced down the hallway which led to Harry's room, hearing the sounds of a baby crying. Verena then stuffed the lock of Jame's hair into her robe pocket, stood up and quietly walked around James's body, going towards Harry's room. Like the rest of the inside of the house, everything inside and in the hallway was all in shambles, broken glass, bits of wood, dried leaves and parchment scattered across the floor. Finally walking down to the end of the hall which led to Harry's room, she soon looked down and came upon the body of Lily, who was lying face down on the floor, her eyes left just as wide open as James's eyes were.

Verena kneeled down next to Lily and placed a hand on her back, looking down at Lily. Verena could do nothing but look on, saddened in her own way. She then heard Harry crying in his crib again and quickly stood up again and went over to see him. She soon picked him up out of his crib, mildly concerned for him. And as Verena cradled Harry in her arms, her legitamency powers kicked in and she began to see images of James and Lily's last moments through Harry's mind. Verena could see the battle and hear the screaming, everything she had expected to hear and see and more. Verena closed her eyes in horror for a brief moment, then opened them again. In her visions, Verena noticed that Lily had held Harry close to her while Voldemort barged into Harry's room and placed Harry back into his crib just before she sacrificed herself to save him.

"I'm sorry for you, Harry." said Verena, looking down at Harry in her arms, who was still crying even after she was holding him. Upon hearing someone enter into the house behind her, Verena quickly stopped looking into Harry's mind and then placed Harry back into his crib. Verena then hide herself in the empty wardrobe nearby, leaving the door to it cracked so that she could see what was going to happen. Through the crack in the wardrobe door, she could see that it was Severus, who had a look on his face that Verena had only seen once before this time. Verena could tell in Severus's look of dread that he was stunned, saddened and in distress at the same time. Verena could hear the anger and the dread in Severus's voice and knew that nothing and no one could have consoled him at that moment. Severus, in his sadness and dread, began to cradle Lily in his arms, holding her close to him and and crying out in despair. Verena, listening to Severus's cries, soon looked away and pulled herself further back into the wardrobe. Verena had seen quite enough for the time being.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, FIFTH FLOOR CORRIDOR, IN-RESIDENT ROOMS - EVENING (OCT. 11TH 2018)**

Inside the in-resident rooms, Verena was sitting on a sofa with her's and Severus's three children. Cyrus and his mother were sitting and watching the fire together, while the other two children were leaning on one another, napping, only opening their eyes now and again to watch the large, roaring fire in the fireplace in front of them. As a half-slumbering Cyrus and his mother watched the fire crackle and snap in a dance of orange, purple and red hues, Cyrus then suddenly spoke quietly, looking up at his mother, "Mum, I was wondering about something. How is it like, being a Once-Dead?"

Verena looked down at him, smiling gently, "Well, I suppose being one isn't that much different from being a normal person in the wizarding world...except..."

"Except what, Mum?"

"Well, you see my dear, it's almost like living on burrowed time. Certainly, with me and your father as Once-Deads, we won't age or die, but only as long as me and your father take the resurrection potion every eight years. If we were ever to stop taking the potion, we would eventually start aging again and then we would eventually die. The interesting thing about it though is that even if me and your father did stop taking the potion, we still won't show our age even while we are aging, but our hair would eventually turn completely white as we reach the end of our lives. And when we die, we would look as we did when we had taken the potion, except with the white hair."

"You mean, you would continue to age but not show it, like you would if you had wrinkles and stuff like that?"

"Correct, my dear. The aging process would be internal, not external and the only external sign of aging would be the color of our hair. But me and your father have already discussed this with you and your siblings. You and your brother and sister should never become Once-Deads like me and your father are and you already know the reason why."

"...I know, it's just that I wish that I could stop the curse that is placed upon you and father and stop what has been tormenting you two all this time, so that you can properly be at peace." said Cyrus, looking on mildly concerned.

"Mortisursal you mean? He's only one of many of Death's little tools that torment me and your father now and again, he isn't the only one. That's one reason why your father has been guarding Hogwarts ever since his supposed death by walking the floors of the corridors at night. Me and your father know how to handle Mortisursal and anything else that Death sends our way, never fear. But Death does not like to be cheated out of spirits as you would know from the _Tale Of Three Brothers_."

"I've always liked that story, ever since me and the others were really little."

"I liked it as well when I was a child. But there is another part of that story that you and the others wouldn't know about and it involves your father's side of the family...or at least the wizard side of it anyway. Perhaps either I or your father will tell you about it sometime. But not now, it's time for you and the others to go to bed..." said Verena, looking up at the clock on the wall.

Cyrus then smiled gently as he hugged his mother and then gave a yawn as he stood up, walking off towards the staircase which led to the bedrooms above. Verena then looked over at her two napping children sitting next to her, Darius and Evangeline, then spoke, "Alright you two, to bed both of you."

"Awww, Mum," protested Darius mildly as he and Evangeline looked up at their mother and yawned, "Can't we stay up long enough to see father when he comes back?"

But Verena was firm, "No, no you can't. You're father will be tired once he gets back here. You can see him tomorrow, now go to bed, the lot of you."

And with that, Darius and Evangeline each gave a hug to their mother and left, following Cyrus up the staircase to their bedrooms.

As the children vanished off towards their assigned bedrooms, Evangeline spoke quietly, "I bet Dad won't be tired for Mum when they..."

"Don't say it, we already know. Let's just go to bed already and leave Mum and Dad alone." said Cyrus coolly as he vanished into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Evangeline and Darius soon did the same.

A half hour later, as Verena sat on the sofa reading her book, the door to the in-resident rooms creaked open and a shrouded black figure entered. The figure then turned and closed the door behind them before turning back towards Verena again.

Verena looked up and smiled, "Severus, my husband, you've returned. How was floorwalking rounds tonight?"

"Delicate, tedious and tiresome as always, my dear," said Severus, walking up to the sofa, then taking off his shroud, "Professor Titch is getting more and more suspicious of my presence by the second. I don't know how much longer we will be able to stay in the castle without him finding out that we've been living here off and on for the past 20 years. And I very nearly ran into Hadramus tonight. Luckily I found a place to hide while he passed me in the hallway as I wasn't about to let him see me."

"Ahh, yes, Hadramus Fletcher, the other night floorwalker. If he ever saw you out of the portraits, he'd have a heart attack and then he would tell Professor Titch, then everything would start falling apart. And of course, we have to deal with our little friends hiding within the walls of Hogwarts at the moment as well as Mortisursal on top of all the other things that are going on around here. But we are doing the best that we can on such short notice," said Verena as she sat down her book on the coffee table in front of her.

Verena then looked back at Severus and continued, noticing the look on his face even in the low light, "What's wrong my dear? You look tired. Come, sit with me on the floor next to the fire." - and with that, Verena got up from the sofa and then sat down again in front of the fire, crossing her legs.

"It's just that I've been thinking. Perhaps Professor Titch should know that we are here. It might make things a lot easier on us..." said Severus as he walked around the side of the sofa and then sat down on the floor next to Verena, "I mean, he already suspects that I am alive so he might as well know for a fact that I am."

"..._Or_ it might make things ten times worse. We are cursed, my dear. Cursed with being tormented by Death and never properly getting a moment's peace, simply because we cheated him out of our souls and knowing how Death is, that never goes unpunished or unchallenged. And to tell you the truth, my dear, I think Titch already knows that you are alive and well and that you are my husband. Titch is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, my dear, so nothing ever really gets past him. I also suspect that Titch knows of the situation and of the burden that you and I are now carrying. But let us not dwell on it anymore tonight. Come now, lay your head down on my lap so that I may stroke your hair. It will calm you."

With a small smile, Severus spoke softly, "Why are you so good to me, Verena? Somehow I feel that I don't deserve it sometimes...or deserve you," - Severus quickly lied down, turning over onto his back and then lying his head in Verena's lap, looking up at her alluringly.

Verena then cast her eyes down onto Severus's face and stared at him alluringly in return as she spoke, "You are my husband, Severus. I would do anything for you, go anywhere with you. Not just because we share a special unbreakable vow, but because I love you more then you'll ever truly know. And _you_ deserve every bit of me and of my love."

"As _you_ deserve all of me and of my love, Verena. I love you more then you'll ever truly know as well. Forever...always..."

And with that, Verena and Severus smiled softly at one another as Verena began to run her fingers through Severus's hair, stroking Severus's hair affectionately. Severus soon brought his hand up and placed it behind Verena's head as Verena bent forward, bringing her lips up to Severus's and kissing him passionately from above. Soon, the warmth of the fire in the fireplace soon consumed Verena and Severus and once again, Verena and Severus were feeling alive with the love and passion that they had for one another and shared with each other.

**EXT. TO INT. ACCUSERS NEST (THE TEMPLE ROOM), THE DARK FOREST - MORNING (OCT. 12TH, 2018)**

A tall and mighty oak tree stood high upon a steep and rocky slope, its branches and leaves spread out above, overlooking the vast Dark Forest below and blocking out the sun behind it. It towered over all other trees in the forest and grew atop the entrance to a large cavern which ran for miles deep underground. Like the roots of the oak tree which ran down the sides of the entrance and wrapped around it, the entrances to a complex mesh of tunnels and corridors could be found within the cavern, going to different areas and other external entrances. But this was no ordinary oak tree and nor was this no ordinary cavern. Known as the Tree of the Bitter Wood, to the Accusers who lived here it was a special and sacred place, never to be tread upon by strangers who were not invited or allowed to come near.

The largest Accuser nest in England was found here, where many Accusers, of all sizes and ages lived out their days in relative peace, protected on all sides by the stone walls of the cliff side and the curtains of flowering vines with long, needle sharp barbs which grew on and hung down from the branches of the oak tree. The curtains of barbed flowering vines, known as Dinthana Vines, were related to Moon Vines and were a special magical plant that was only found in the Wizarding world. And it was here, inside this Accusers nest, that Abigail Prince was being held against her will, helpless and unable to call for help.

Deep in the heart of the nest, Abigail was tied to a pole in the center of the temple room, which was the largest room in the entire nest and was where the Accusers would go for religious worship, as well as social gatherings. As Abigail struggled to try and free herself from her bounds, Accusers continued to hover and drift around her, surrounding her and observing her. Soon, the one Accuser that was assigned to protect Abigail let out a long and agitated hiss at some of the Accusers that were getting to close, warning them not to harm or torment her. Abigail was much more important to them alive than dead, thus the leader of the nest made certain that no other Accuser would harm her in any way, at least for the time being.

But even though she was being protected, the Accusers that looked on were still curious and agitated by the sight of her in their nest and pondered to an extent as to why she was there. Some of the Accuser children that looked on began hissing and making snapping and clicking sounds, trying to frighten Abigail, who simply gawked nervously at them with her one exposed eye from the safety of her pole. Luckily, the silk scarf over the left side of her face had not fallen off in her capture, thus those looking on had yet to see the scared side of her face.

After a couple minutes, the leader of the nest appeared, covered in glittering black shrouds which breezed around him. Like all adult Accusers, the leader of the nest appeared as a faceless gray shape covered in flowing black shrouds, looking similar to a Dementor but with a long neck, four sickle-shaped ended limbs and a long tail stretching out behind him. Capable of wingless flight, the Accusers normally move around by either flying or hovering over the ground are able to stand and walk on all fours and on their sickle-shaped ended limbs for a short time. The children of the Accusers however looked different from their parents, but eventually all Accuser children would become like their parents in the end.

Soon, the guard protecting Abigail stepped aside and the leader of the nest than approached Abigail and spoke, speaking with a cold and raspy voice like most Accusers did, "Sssssssssssssss, do you know who I am?"

"I can't say I know you by name, but by presence, you're the leader of this nest aren't you?"

"I am Ssssssssssss Drelth, Ssssssssssss leader of this nest! Ssssssssssssss and you are Abigail Prince Ssssssssssss the wizard Severus's cousin Sssssssssssssssssss..."

"Oh, am I? Why ever do you think that? I don't even know who this wizard Severus is," said Abigail, trying to deny ever knowing about Severus, but the Accusers were not fooled.

"Ssssssssssssssss do not lie to me human! Ssssssssssssssssss We know that you are Severus Snape's cousin! Ssssssssssssssssss You know him! Ssssssssss you even went to Hogwarts Castle to see if you could see him in flesh there Ssssssssssssssss. We know that he is alive! Sssssssssssssss We know that he is now with a mate and with offspring! Ssssssssssssssssss You have seen his offspring, they came to see you! Sssssssssssssss and we know that you can help us find what we seek! Ssssssssssssssssss."

"Oh, really? So what are you seeking then? Cause I know you certainly don't need me to help you! Why was I kidnapped and brought here?" snapped Abigail, still struggling to free herself from her bounds.

"Ssssssssssssss, you have a special sight! Sssssssssssss a sight that we need to find what we seek! Sssssssssssssss. A sight that you hide underneath this scarf! Ssssssssssssss," said Drelth as he brought up one of his sickle-shaped limbs and pulled off the silk scarf that was covering up the left side of Abigail's face. With her scares now seen in full light, the Accusers looking on began to hiss even louder at the sight of Abigail's face. Some of the Accuser children even climbed up on the backs of some of the nearby adults and sat on their shoulders, looking on in mild fear.

Drelth continued, "You will help us find what we seek Sssssssssssss or your cousin will die Ssssssssssssss Our mistress is there now, waiting to kill the wizard Severus and claim her prize Ssssssssssssss..."

"Ha! Good luck with that! I highly doubt that she will get anywhere near Severus with his wife and children protecting him! And even if she does get close to him, she'll have one hell of a fight on her hands!"

"Ssssssssssssss She will not fail to get close to him Sssssssssssssss for she hides among those who work next to his mate in Hogwarts, Sssssssssssssss," said Drelth, getting closer to Abigail, "And when the time comes, she will claim her prize and kill the wizard Severus Sssssssssssssss unless you help us find what we seek! Ssssssssssss."

Abigail began to speak louder, "Well, then you're going to be waiting forever because I will never help the Accusers or your beloved Lady Mapheria to bring destruction and chaos into the Wizarding world!" cried Abigail, who began to speak louder, trying to get the attention of every Accuser in the room, who hissed as they listened, "Yes, I know who you're mistress is and what she's doing and I can tell you now that you're all just puppets on a string to her! She's brainwashed you all into thinking that her plan will save you from your own demise, but she is only thinking about herself and her own selfish needs! Please listen to me, you are only destroying yourselves by selfishly believing in her! You don't need her help to save your kind, you can all save yourselves! Lady Mapheria is _the_ real leader of this nest, not Drelth, not anybody else! She's playing games and toying with all of you! Please, stop listening to her and let me go so that I may get back to my husband and children!"

"Enough!" yelled Drelth, "We are not going to listen to your lies! Sssssssssssssss We know that our mistress can save us! Ssssssssssssss just as you can save us! Sssssssssssssss You _will_ help us find the key to the Book of Resurrections! Sssssssssssssssss You _will_ help us find where it is located or your cousin _will_ die! Ssssssssssssssss and if his mate and offspring get in the way of our mistress's plans, they _will_ die to! Ssssssssssssssss, Bring her to the altar! Ssssssssssssssssssss!"

And with that, the other Accusers in the room looked on, hissing, clicking and snapping loudly as Drelth turned towards the altar at the far end of the temple room. As Abigail was being dragged towards he altar, her eyes caught glimps of a pair of shrouded figures in the fair corner of the temple room. For a few moments, she thought that perhaps her carriage driver Alastair had survived his encounter with Mortisursal and had somehow found his way to Hogsmeade to get help. But she would soon realize that these shrouded figures were more than as they appeared to be.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 20...**


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20: ALBUS'S DREAM (PART 2)

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOMS - DAWN (OCT. 23RD, 2018) **

It was to early in the morning for the usual activity which occurred before the students woke. The sun wasn't even above the horizon yet and the inside the castle sat quiet, with every portrait hanging silently upon the walls of its vast corridors. The most that was being heard at this time was gentle snoring, which was coming from some of the older portraits in the castle. Inside the Gryffindor Common Rooms however, Albus was not sleeping well. Though his eyes were closed, Albus was gently trashing about in his bed underneath his blankets as though he was reacting to something in his sleep. Albus was once again having strange dreams, dreams in which he could hardily understand the meaning of.

In this dream, Albus could hear Severus and Verena talking to one another, but Severus and Verena themselves could not been seen. The conversation all seemed gibberish at first, but soon the blurred images that were seen suddenly became clearer. Albus then suddenly found himself in front of his family's house, the Well-House. Suddenly, Albus was watching himself being pulled into the house, first drifting through the front door, then drifting past his parents who sat cuddling with one another on the sofa in the living room. Soon, Albus found himself drifting up the staircase and towards his bedroom door. While all this was happening, Albus continued to listen as the conversation between Severus and Verena seemed to be getting louder and clearer until finally, Albus found himself in his own bedroom. As far as Albus could tell, it seemed as though he had traveled back 11 years, during a time when he was just an infant, which made it all the more strange to him.

Inside Albus's bedroom, Albus came upon the sight of Verena softly cooing over and holding an infant in her arms, cradling it while Severus stood nearby behind Verena, looking on silently and nonchalantly. It didn't take long for Albus to realize that the infant Verena was holding was Albus himself as a newborn, only a couple weeks old. Verena and Severus were standing next to Albus's old wooden cradle in the far corner of Albus's bedroom, looking down at the infant Albus in Verena's arms.

Verena soon spoke as she continued to cradle infant Albus close to her, smiling softly down at him, "The Auranan is strong in the boy, Severus. I can feel it, even now. Could he possibly be _the one_, Severus? Is he possibly _our_ champion?"

"_If_ he does have the Auranan, Verena, then he ought to be careful not to lose it. The Auranan is the powerful magical energy that us Death Eaters strive to seek and to master, but it can be lost or subdued if certain situations persist. Auradinithia herself had it and soon used it to..."

Verena suddenly butted in, as if she knew that someone was listening,"...I know the story, Severus. Even the part about when your own family was involved in the matter. Perhaps we will tell the boy all about it when it is time for him to know."

Walking further into his bedroom, Albus soon spoke up, trying to get the attention of both Verena and Severus, "Professor Witchazel, Professor Snape, what's going on? Why are you standing in my bedroom holding me? Does my mum and dad know you're in here?"

But just like in the last strange dream Albus had, Verena and Severus acted as though they could neither hear nor see him.

Verena continued, "But even though the boy has the Auranan, the boy does not have the capability or the capacity to become a fully-realized Death Eater as far as I can tell. And we can't honestly say that he has the potential to become a fully-realized Death Eater because...well, you know."

"Yes, I know. It is likely that his father would not hear of it, even though the boy's gift should certainly be pursued upon," said Severus, agreeing with Verena.

"Quite so, Severus. And if we are to help save the Wizarding World once again, we're going to have to ensure that the boy will continue to keep the Auranan alive within him," - Suddenly, as in the last strange dream Albus had, Verena looked up at him as if she could see him and continued, speaking softly and looking on coolly as she spoke, "If I know my own mind, Severus, this boy is _our_ champion and thus it will be _this_ boy who will save us all once again. And just like his father before him, he will be expected to become a great wizard and to face his own destiny. It will be up to _this_ boy to defeat those who wish to destroy us and all that is the Wizarding World."

Albus suddenly noticed what sounded like warping or bending of wood behind him and turned his head to look, but all he could see was a blank wall covered in dark wood paneling. Albus then looked forward again as Severus continued, "But how does the boy have the Auranan, Verena? His father is certainly not a Death Eater, but the exact opposite. And Potter has never shown me any signs that he himself was gifted with the Auranan and it is unlikely that he would use the power if he did."

Severus was pondering coolly, seemingly brooding over the fact that a child of the one person that he despised the most had the gift of the Auranan, while he and Verena themselves had only just mastered the power several years ago and even then they had to earn it, unlike in the case of the infant Albus.

"I don't know, Severus. It is quite strange indeed, " - Verena paused a moment and continued, "I wonder, could there possibly have been Death Eaters in his family or someone who was gifted with the Auranan? Somewhere in the past history of the Potter Family perhaps?"

Severus was now sneering and brooding even more, suddenly realizing that his family might be at fault for giving Albus the Auranan. Thinking about his past family history further, it was possible that the Potter Family had inherited the gift of the Auranan from Evelina Snape, who was the first wife and cousin of Serinus Snape, the ancestor of the Muggle branch of the Snape Family, which was the branch of the Snape family that Severus came from. Evelina herself was born with the gift of the Auranan, as was Serinus, but in the case of Snape's family, the Auranan was purged from the Muggle Snape Family along with all the wizard blood in it. Apparently the gift of the Auranan somehow managed to survive in the Potter Family up until the present day, where it was then bestowed upon Albus. If present in the genes, the power of the Auranan was born into a wizard family every other generation, so Severus was not surprised that Harry was without the Auranan, though it was possible that Harry's father James could have had it. Even more strange however, was the fact that the gift of the Auranan had somehow skipped over Harry's oldest son James and instead fell upon Albus, which was highly unusual since the Auranan normally fell upon the first born of every other generation.

Verena soon turned to face Severus and presented the infant Albus to Severus. But Severus, realizing what Verena was asking of him, simply glared at her and shook his head slightly. But Verena simply smiled softly and spoke quietly, "Come now, Severus, my dear. Look upon _our_ champion. Afterall, we are going to be teaching him how to use the Auranan in due time. And besides, you owe it to Lily and Harry to see him and I need you to hold him for a moment. I can't do what we intended to do here if I am holding him."

Severus paused for a second, then spoke coolly, "Fine, I will hold the boy for a moment, for his grandmother's sake, but not Potter's."

And with that, Severus reluctantly took the infant Albus into his arms and held him, smirking as he looked down at him. Verena then stood to the left side of Severus and once again began cooing softly at the infant Albus, clearly thinking about Cyrus and Evangeline, who were waiting at home for her and were still infants themselves at the time she and Severus had came to visit Albus as an infant. Severus simply smirked and rolled his eyes slightly as he muttered coolly, "Belladonna..."

Albus was getting more and more confused by the second. Why hadn't Professor Witchazel, or rather Verena Snape, ever mention that her and Severus had visited him when he was a newborn infant? And what was this strange magical power that he was said to possess, known as the Auranan? Albus had at least a hundred questions running through his head that needed to be answered, but none of them were being answered as far as he could tell.

While Albus was busy watching Severus cradle him in his arms, Albus soon noticed that Verena had suddenly moved away from Severus and was now walking over closer to Albus's crib, her back facing towards him and Severus. Albus could not see what Verena was doing, but he could tell that Verena was putting something inside of his crib and whatever it was, it had to have been something important. But before Albus could walk over to see what it was, he soon heard another voice, this time coming from behind him. It clearly sounded like a woman's voice, but the voice sounded strange, if not slightly contorted, "Young Master Albus, will you turn around and look at me please?"

Albus suddenly turned around, never realizing what he was going to see next was nothing short of strange and way beyond his understanding at the moment. At the very moment Albus turned around, a groan could be heard for a moment as the dark wood paneling on the blank wall behind him suddenly began to contort near the center of the wall. The wood paneling in the center of the wall then began to twist and bend violently until flattening out and ultimately forming the partial outline of a woman. It was though the wood paneling had melted and was moving about like lava or putty. Then, a left arm suddenly formed, then a left hand, then a left leg, then the left side of a woman's face, until ultimately the entire left side of a woman was seen literally forming out of the wood itself. Wood had turned into skin, and the skin began to take on the color of a fair-skinned woman. Then the more refined features began to emerge: a left ear, a left eye, a left side of a mouth, then the left side of a nose. She looked as those she was literally merged or melted into the wood on one side of her body, while the other side could clearly be seen.

From suddenly recognizing the scaring on the woman's face and the woman's white eye, Albus soon realized that the woman and the voice he had heard was that of Abigail Snape, Severus's cousin and the woman that Albus had met with Cyrus Snape at Hagrid's Hut not to long ago. Albus then suddenly noticed the scene around him fade into nothingness, leaving him standing in an empty room, looking at Abigail. Abigail seemed to be sitting inside the wall, with only the left side of her body exposed, while the rest of her was seemingly melted or merged into the wall. And from what Albus could see, Abigail was wearing long brown and white robes, but only the left side of those robes could be seen. Albus could clearly hear Abigail speaking to him, but her mouth did not move. It was as though she was speaking to Albus through his mind.

"_Our_ champion indeed, young Albus Potter," said Abigail as she looked at Albus sideways with her exposed eye, "You, who is destined to save the Wizarding World just as your father before you did. Though your father's destiny is far from being as great and important as yours is, young master Albus," - Abigail continued to smile softly down at Albus as he slowly walked up to her, unsure of what to say or think next. Albus was surprised that unlike Severus and Verena before, Abigail was clearly seeing and talking to him. But Albus was getting irritated with the fact that just like Cyrus, Abigail was addressing him as young master Albus with no real explanation as to why he was being addressed as such, other than the fact that it was a sign of respect due to the fact that his father was Harry Potter.

Albus walked up closer to Abigail and spoke, "Madame, what's happened to you? You look like you're melted into the wall! And you can see me...and talk to me! But your mouth isn't moving! What is going on? Please tell me."

"Yes, my boy, I am seeing you. But as you can clearly see, I am talking you through your mind," said Abigail as she turned her head and looked straight at Albus, pulling the rest of her face from out of the wall, "But don't be alarmed by this or the sight of me in this wall. Though you might think that I am hurting, I feel no pain and no one other than yourself knows that I am here in your dream at the moment, not even Severus or Verena. The Dreamgleamer that Severus is using on you can be interfered with, but only for a few minutes."

"But why is Severus doing this, Madame?" asked Albus irritably, "He's done this to me before, the first time while I was sleeping on the Hogwarts Express weeks ago. Why won't he talk to me and let me see him?"

"All in due time, my dear boy. But now is not the time to be worrying about seeing him. As for myself, I am to far away from Severus now to even consider meeting or seeing him, even though I want so much to."

"But you're here, right now, looking at me."

"It may appear that way, my boy, but I am not here," said Abigail, shifting her eyes and looking around as if mildly disturbed by something unseen by Albus.

Albus continued, becoming more puzzled by the second, "But if you're not here, Madame, then where are you? Though I can only imagine where you can be now, other than in the wall. Why ever did you get into the wall in the first place, or more to the point, _how_?"

"Severus does not know. I was kidnapped and attacked some time ago because of my special sight. But a small group of reformed Accusers came to my rescue and freed me from my captors. Now I am somewhere in the walls of Hogwarts, hiding...watching...waiting. Much like the Children of the Bitter Wood usually are these days."

Albus soon became mildly unnerved and began looking around when he suddenly heard the giggling and laughter of a small child, coming from an unseen source. Albus then looked back at Abigail and spoke, "Reformed Accusers? The Children of the Bitter Wood?"

"You mean Cyrus and his siblings never told you?"

Albus shook his head as Abigail continued, "There are demons in the walls of Hogwarts my dear boy. They're all around you there, inside the walls, watching and waiting, just as they are in the walls of the Ministry Of Magic. But I've since learned while being in the walls of Hogwarts that the ones in the walls of the Ministry spy for those Accusers that are not reformed. While those in the walls of Hogwarts spy for the ones that are."

"But who or what are the Accusers, Madame? I've never heard of such beings existing in the walls of Hogwarts before or even existing in the Wizarding world for that matter," asked Albus, becoming more curious.

"Oh, you wouldn't care to know of them, my dear boy, at least for the time being. But Verena, Severus and their children _do_ know of them, and will stop at nothing to protect you from them...at least from those Accusers who are not reformed. But you need not worry or feel that I am in peril, young master Albus. I am safe for the time being, but it will likely not last for very much longer. So please do inform Verena that I will be needing her help getting out of the cupboard wall inside Hogwarts nearest to the entrance to the Great Hall. But as for you, my dear boy, the things that await you in the future. It's so...fantastic and yet so very dangerous.

And you, my boy, are gifted with the Auranan, a great and magnificent power that so many have found in the past and yet so rarely have mastered. Countless Death Eaters before you have spent their whole lives trying to achieve the gift that you were so..._blessed _with in birth. And you did not earn the power like others in the past have had to, which will make it even harder for you to keep it. The Auranan, my boy, has always been a great power that is and always will be both a blessing and a curse. Even still, this is how it must be if the Wizarding World is to survive and remain free of the darkness that slowly begins to spread across this world. A darkness that is not so dissimilar to the kind that Lord Voldemort had once brought upon this world, but only this new darkness is far more dangerous and far more destructive. Your father and all of his friends merely won the battle when it comes to the former Lord Voldemort. But now you and your friends are soon to fight in the war."

"War? What war?" asked Albus as he continued to listen to Abigail, his eyes widening slightly.

"Yes, my dear boy," said Abigail as the right side of her face melted back into the wall and with her left eye now shifted so that she could continue to see Albus, "It is a very old and long forgotten war that has never really been resolved ever since it began over 1500 years ago, in a time when there was no Hogwarts Castle or a School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during a time when the Ancient Lost Practices were thriving. A war that continues to rage even now, despite the fact that those who had led to it have long since been defeated. But now, those who had led to it threaten to appear once again and this time they intend to finish what they started," - Abigail once again looked straight at Albus and brought her left arm out away from the wall, placing her left hand on Albus's right shoulder and continued, "But you, my boy, you must stop them from achieving their ultimate goal. You must be the one to ensure that the Wizarding World will never again be threatened by their presence...or their power..."

"But who are they that you speak of? The Accusers? The Children of the Bitter Wood?" said Albus as Abigail brought her had down to her side again, looking at Albus as he spoke, "And why must it be me? Why must I be the one to stop them?"

"Because, my boy, you have something that they want. Something that will make them immortal and give them the ability to never again find themselves in the presence of Death or his minions," said Abigail as brought her left arms back into the wall, but continued to look straight at Albus, "But you have yet to fully realize your abilities and potential, which is something that Severus and Verena can help you achieve, if only you would just ask them and listen to them."

"But Verena and her children refuse to do or tell me anything about what is going on. And I have yet to even meet Professor Snape. He just continues to avoid me."

"And for good reason, my boy, you are far from being ready to meet him. But when you are finally ready to meet him, you will certainly know it and not any time sooner."

"But what makes them think that I have this gift of the Auranan that they say that I have? I don't have any special kind of magical power, I just have normal magical powers."

"Well, if that's what you believe, then you will never meet Severus or become as powerful of a wizard as you can be," said Abigail coolly. Abigail then noticed something behind Albus and spoke once more with a smile, "Do you really want to see what you are up against, young master Albus?"

The look on Abigail's face made Albus pause for only a moment, as though what was going to happen next was something that he would not like. But with a small gulp, Albus nodded his head.

After a short pause, Abigail softly spoke, "So be it..." - and with that, Abigail brought her exposed left arm out of the wall once more and gently shoved Albus, causing him to fall backwards. Without him realizing it, the opening to a large black pit had formed in the floor behind him and he was now falling into it, yelling as he fell deeper and deeper down into the earth. And as Albus fell, Abigail vanished back into the wall as quickly as she formed out of it, disappearing entirely and once again leaving a clean, blank wall. He watched all around him as the walls of the pit began to change from soil, then into rock and then into molten magma. But he did not feel the heat of the magma and it did not seem to effect him in anyway as he fell. Suddenly, he noticed a huge boulder at the bottom of the pit, which was coming closer and closer as he fell. But just before he was going to hit the boulder, he suddenly found himself falling slower and slower until he was only floating like a feather, landing gently on the top of the boulder.

After landing on the boulder and looking around a moment, it didn't take Albus long to realize where he was. He was in a vast volcanic chamber, filled with a massive lake of molten magma, with enough magma to fill the Black Lake to its brim seven times over. But even now, he wasn't feeling the intense heat of the magma or feeling any real effects, just a warm breeze, which whipped and blew his robes back behind him. However, the intensity of the light from the magma was so great that it made Albus bring his left arm up a moment to shield his eyes. Then, he felt a rumbling under his feet. It was a minute rumble at first, but noticeable enough that it made Albus stop and think a moment. The bubbling of magma around the edges of the boulder that Albus was standing on slowly began to get larger and wider, until the bubbles were as wide as he was tall, bursting and splattering magma in every direction. The entire lake of magma was starting to bubble up with massive molten bubbles of magma.

For a brief moment, Albus could see the walls of the magma chamber, which were covered with an elaborate pattern. It wasn't a natural pattern that one would normally see in rock, like one would see if magma had carved it. It was more like a cleanly carved, almost mesh-like pattern, as if it had been cut and carved into the walls by a wood carver or stonemason. Albus soon also noticed some familiar writing carved into the walls nearest to him. It was the same type of strange writing that was written along the edges of some of the pages in his potions book at school and shown on the trunk of the Tree Of Ancient Memory: The Aeyuel Language, the language of the Death Eaters. Suddenly, the boulder underneath Albus's feet jerked violently, causing him to fall back and land on his rear.

Albus quickly stood up once again when a long, drawn out shriek was heard, followed by a massive displacement of the magma that flowed in front of him. It appeared as though something was coming up from underneath the magma and whatever it was, it was massive and was something that Albus himself clearly couldn't fight with on his own. Suddenly, a massive form burst through the surface of the magma. There was yet another loud shriek and then a long, drawn out hissing. The displaced magma splashed along the edges of the chamber as the massive, fiery form arched up and a began breaking through the top of the chamber, dropping bits of rock and magma all around it. Albus watched in both horror and awe as the massive fiery spectacle slowly began to show its true form.

First, a pair of massive, leathery wings sprang from the massive flames that surrounded it. Then a long, sleek and smooth tail began to appear. Then, front feet and back feet, its fingers and toes tipped with long, sharp claws, which dug into the sides of the chamber like a knife through cheese. Then a long, sleek neck, like that of a cat's, and a sleek, arrow shaped head appeared, proportionately sized to match the rest of its body, with long, sleek and swept-back dark brown horns sprouting from its forehead and cheeks. The largest and longest of these horns sprouted from near the top of the forehead and swept back halfway over its neck. It had a large and snapping maw filled to the brim long, sharp and needle-shaped teeth that moved like that of the fangs of a snake, folding back in its maw when its mouth was closed. Then one by one, the rest of the massive creature's body began to appear from the flames, its body shape reminiscent to that of a cat's, only smooth, hairless and on a much larger scale. Most of its body, with the exception of its underbelly, its nose, front and back feet (which were brown and scaly), was smooth and was without scales.

A tampering frill ran along the creature's back, starting from the top of its head, then ending near the end of its tail. The frill was double-sided and appeared as though it was on fire, colored with the crimson-red, orange, yellow-white and violet-purple hues of fire. The frill was taller on its head and along its spine, springing up and folding back down like that of a peacock's tail. It had a large, boney club on the end of its tail that could easily smash rock into dust. The whole creature appeared as though it was bathed in fire, until its wings fully extended, knocking the flames away from its body. The color of its body was that of a deep crimson red. It also had a speckling of tiny fiery glowing spots of light yellow-white, violet-purple and light orange along the sides of its neck, along the flanks of its body and tail, on the wing arms and all over the tips of its wings, with the speckling of tiny spots similar in appearance to that of a dusting or scattering of stardust or ash.

It didn't take long for Albus to realize that he was staring at some kind of dragon, but what kind it was for the most part remained unclear to him. All that he knew was that it was massive, much larger then any creature or beast that he had ever seen or encountered before. To Albus, the dragon appeared to be as tall as a football field was long, if not more so. But in the hot and fiery atmosphere of the magma chamber, it was hard for him to judge the true height and size of the dragon.

Soon, light began to come into the chamber from the outside as the massive dragon broke through the surface and quickly flew up into the air, shrieking loudly as it went. Then, in a flash, Albus suddenly found himself hovering over a scene of total devastation, which stretched for miles in all directions. Fires were blazing out if control all around him as the scene unfolded: Albus could see both wizards and magical creatures of all kinds fighting below him. Among this scene included various wizards, witches, giants, trolls, centaurs and various other magic folk and magical creatures, even a few ghosts and various other vaporous entities. Albus wasn't sure which side was which as most of it looked all like a blur to him.

Then the massive dragon appeared from overhead, and flew down upon the scene, spouting what appeared to be a steady stream of molten magma from its mouth as it flew over, which caught everything on fire that was touched by it. As the dragon banked to the right to turn, Albus soon noticed that someone was riding on its back of the dragon, near the base of its neck. It seemed as though the rider was telling the dragon where to go and soon the dragon turned and flew over the scene again.

But just before the dragon reached the scene again, Albus once again saw a flash and soon found himself standing on the edge of a vertical cliff, overlooking a large forested valley and down at a large, fast flowing river below. In front of him, Albus could see a large and extensive mountain range that Albus somehow recognized seeing in a book on dragons not to long ago, but couldn't quite remember where it saw it and the name of the mountain range. Suddenly, Albus heard someone walk up behind him and quickly turned to see who it was. Standing behind him was a beautiful, fair-skinned woman that appeared to be no older then 35 years old. The woman had long, dark brown hair and hazel-green eyes and wore long, purple-black and flowing robes and a pointed hat of the same color similar in design to that of the Sorting Hat. Albus could clearly see that she was a witch, but instead of brandishing a wand like other wizards and witches did, this witch was brandished with a longbow and arrow, similar in color and design to the bow used by Verena when teaching Magical Archery class at school.

And like in the case of Verena and Severus earlier, it appeared as though this witch could not see or hear Albus, which seemed to irritate Albus as he tried to speak to her. The witch appeared to be highly alert if not mildly nervous as she slowly walked towards the edge of the cliff and looked down over it. In and instant, the form of the dragon appeared over the crest of the cliff, shrieking and hissing loudly as it flew straight up and then did a backward loop before ultimately slowing and landing on the edge of the cliff, flapping its wings as it landed. Startled, the witch quickly stepped back away from the dragon and quickly grabbed for an arrow from her bow sleeve, quickly setting it and aiming it towards the dragon.

This time, the dragon was without its rider, but was no less dangerous as it quieted and began to peer down at the witch with its large yellow eyes. It brought its head closer to her and opened its mouth slightly so that she could see its teeth, ready to come down upon her if given the chance. But for some reason, the dragon was not trying to get any closer to the witch then it already was and seemed as though it was weary or frightened of something. Then, Albus suddenly realized who the witch was, having seen images of her in a book of Ancient Wizard History.

Albus spoke her name as he looked on, "Auradinthia..."

Auradinthia quickly raised her bow towards the dragon's head an spoke, "Morfyrath, my old enemy, you've finally come to face me once again."

Suddenly, to Albus's amazement and confusion, he could hear the dragon talk to Auradinthia, though not with its mouth. Albus could hear the dragon speaking to Auradinthia in his mind, "Auradinthia the Auror, Keeper of The Eighth Eye and Bearer of The Auranan, once again we meet where we started."

"Yes, and once again where we will end it. Who freed you from your prison, Morfyrath? I know that no one but a Death Eater should be able to free you from that place."

Albus could clearly see and hear Auradinthia speaking with her mouth, but Morfyrath was clearly speaking with his mind rather then with his mouth.

Morfyrath continued, "My owner freed me, the great Dark Lord Dianphor! He used his great magical powers to free me from my eternal prison underneath the earth. He prepared me, took charge over me and sent me out to find you and destroy you!"

Auradinthia then spoke once more, "So, your beloved owner has returned to this world as well, I see. The very wizard who brought you into this world from the World Below. Dianphor should have never brought you here. He should have left you where he found you and buried you underneath the Woeing Tree. Yours and his powers are far to dangerous and destructive to remain in this world. Now I will send you back into the shadows from which you and your owner came! Let's end this now!"

Morfyrath let out a short hiss from his mouth as he continued to speak in Albus's head, "Ever courageous and respected you are, great Auror. But we are not going anywhere until you give us what we came her for! You have what we need, great Auror. The key that will bring us and our followers endless youth, everlasting life and the power to keep death away. You even now are bound to its mercy, cursed by its will, tormented and terrorized by that which seeks to get what it so rightfully deserves. You are never truly at peace, great Auror, this my master knows. He only wishes to be given what we came here for and give you the peace that you have so needed these past 300 years."

Albus looked at Auradinthia, astonished. Albus would have never realized that Auradinthia was that old from the way she looked. Albus then noticed that Auradinthia had a lock of pure white hair, neatly woven and imbedded in her long, dark brown hair. From seeing this, Albus soon realized that Auradinthia was a Once-Dead, just as Verena and Severus were.

Auradinthia spoke once again, raising her bow up further and following Morfyrath's movements, "I _know_ what you and Dianphor came here for and it certainly not for the Resurrection Potion! That is not what you and Dianphor are really after and I can tell you now, you are never going to get it, for with it would make you and your master unstoppable, then no one and nothing would be able to keep you from destroying this world and from taking everyone's magical powers away!"

Albus's eyes grew wide, horrified by what he had just heard, "Ta...ta...taking away everyone's magical powers? What ever in the world could do such a thing?"

Morfyrath hissed once more as he continued, his voice heard ever present in Albus's mind, "I've heard enough out of you, great Auror! Now give me and my master what we came here for or we will tear this world apart and all that lives within it! Give it to me now!"

"Never!" said Auradinthia as she drew her bow back. In an instant, the tip of her arrow began to glow brightly in a brilliant blue hue, as if some sort of powerful magical energy had been sent into it and infused with it, just as it was in the case of the arrows in Albus's Magical Archery class. With one last shriek from Morfyrath, he gaped his maw and began to charge forward towards Auradinthia.

But just before Auradinthia was about to strike Morfyrath with her arrow, Albus heard a boy's voice, "Albus...Albus, wake up!"

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOMS - MORNING (OCT. 23RD, 2018) **

In a flash, Albus found himself back in the Gryffindor Common Rooms and laying in his bed. Albus sat up in bed with a start, yelling and panicking briefly as he looked around nervously.

"Woah, Albus! It's alright, Albus!" said a familiar voice next to Albus's bed. It was his older brother James, who can come up to the Gryffindor Common Rooms to fetch him and was tugging on Albus's sleeve to wake him. Albus quickly calmed down and looked up at James, who gave Albus a soft pat on the back, "Are you alright now? You look like you've had a nightmare."

"I'm alright," said Albus quickly, "It's...it was just a dream. Why are you here?"

"You slept in late so I came up here to get you for breakfast. It's not like you to wanna miss a good, old fashioned Hogwarts breakfast. Not like you'd miss breakfast at home. Would you like to talk about it?"

"No, we don't have time to. And besides, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Just like you won't believe that Professor Snape is still alive," said Albus as he quickly got out of his bed and began scrambling to get his clothes and school robes on.

"Now don't start _that_ again, Albus. I'm telling you, it was just a dream about Professor Snape. It's not real, it's a figment of your imagination, nothing more or less."

"That's what you think, James!" - Albus finished getting dressed and then looked back at James, "Come on, then! We're late for breakfast!"

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 21...  
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	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21: TO THE END (PART 1)

**INT. THE GREAT HALL, HOGWARTS CASTLE - MORNING (OCT. 23RD, 2018)**

Inside the Great Hall, everyone was getting ever more excited and anxious about the coming festivities to Hogwarts. Albus Potter however, was thinking more about the strange dreams he had been having and what they all meant. At the Gryffindor table, Albus was quietly sitting with his cousins Fred II and Roxanne to his left and with his brother James and sister Lily to his right, poking at his plate of pancakes with a fork. Albus's cousins Rose, her brother Hugo, cousins Molly Weasley II and her sister Lucy and Albus's friend Amelia were sitting on the opposite side of the Gryffindor table facing him. After a few minutes, Albus felt a tap on his shoulder. Albus turned around and saw that it was the Scamander twins, Lorcan and Lysander. Like their mother, Luna Lovegood, both Lorcan and Lysander had blondish-white hair and fair skin, but Lorcan had his father's eyes while Lysander did not, which made it easy for Albus and the others to tell the difference between them. Lysander also wore a braided lock of hair on his head, which made him stand out even more from Lorcan. They had walked from all the way from the Ravenclaw table to talk to Albus after having talked with James just before coming into the Great Hall.

"So, we heard from your brother James that you had a dream about a dragon," said Lorcan politely. Albus gave a disappointing glance over at James. James had pestered Albus to tell him about the dream while they were walking to the Great Hall together and after Albus told James, James went off and told Lorcan and Lysander about it after he was told by Albus not to say anything about it.

James, his face stuffed with pancake, noticed Albus looking at him and mumbled, "What? I had the tell someone, especially when it had a dragon in it."

"No, you didn't have to James. That is the last time I'm going to tell you anything about my dreams," hissed Albus.

James gave a sad look and then went back to eating his pancakes. Then Lysander spoke up, "Now, now, Albus, James only meant well, especially since the dream has a dragon in it, not something that normally shows up in a wizard's dream without proper reason. And besides, me and Lorcan know all about dragons from our father. You could have told us about it, we would have identified the species for you."

"Sorry, Lysander. But I didn't want it to be identified. I didn't want it to be spoken about period."

Rose glanced up from the book she was reading, suddenly interested in what was being said.

"Well, since we're here..." said Lorcan as he pulled out a small book on dragons and sat down next to Albus with Lysander, "...we might as well help you identify the species."

After a few minutes, Rose shoved an open book on wizard history towards Albus, "Is _this_ the dragon that was in your dream, Albus?"

Albus picked up the book and looked at the page the book was open on, looking at the picture on it, "Yes, this is the dragon. I think the dragon in my dream called himself Morfyrath and was talking to this woman, a witch. I think she was Auradinthia."

"Auradinthia? _thee_ Auradinthia, the Great Auror?" asked Hugo.

"Yes," replied Albus, looking at Hugo.

"Now _that_ is interesting, Albus," said Lorcan, as Albus looked back at him, "Quite interesting indeed."

"So you're saying. But I've only heard of her once before in a fairy tale my dad use to tell me. Who was she?"

"Are you seriously telling us that you don't know anything about her from history class, Albus?" said Fred II, as Albus shook his head. Fred II continued, "She was like only the very first Auror to ever exist in the Wizarding world. She's was the creator of the legendary Book of Auradinthia, the Book of Resurrections."

"Yes, she was also the creator of the Window of Auradinthia, or so the legends say. We might be wrong though," said Roxanne after.

"I'm sorry, what is the Window of Auradinthia?" asked Albus, confused, since everything was coming at him a mile a minute.

Rose replied, "It's an ancient and enchanted picture frame that is said to allow those who have died once to enter the enchanted portraits and into the World Below, those who were called Once-Deads. Only Once-Deads can enter through it and come back out through it again, no one else can, only they have the power to."

While Albus was talking to the others, Cyrus walked past the Gryffindor table and suddenly listened in. He then walked up behind Albus as Albus spoke, "I'm sorry, what is the World Below?"

"The Spirit World, young master Albus," said Cyrus suddenly, causing Albus and everyone talking to Albus and sitting near him to look up at him. Cyrus continued coolly, his lips curling slightly, "The World Below is simply another name for it, the seemingly invisible realm that everyone knows about and yet can not reach until their death. The Fringes marks the edge of the World Below...or the physical, living world as well if you like."

While Cyrus was talking to Albus, Albus's satchel bag, which Albus would use to carry his books, was sitting next to Albus on the bench he was sitting on. Cyrus glanced down towards the satchel and soon realized that some one or something was listening in from underneath the Gryffindor table. Cyrus looked back at Albus and spoke once more, "But some boundaries tend to be crossed when they shouldn't be, namely by your little spying friend who is underneath your table right now and about to grab hold of your satchel."

Albus quickly looked down at his satchel, where a pair of small hands were just about to grab his satchel and pull it off the bench. Albus sprang into action, grabbing onto his satchel and struggling to pull it away from whoever or whatever was underneath the table.

"Let go of my satchel, let go of it this instant!" cried Albus, who was staring at the face of Grispell, who somehow had gotten into the castle and was now fighting with Albus for possession of Albus's satchel. Despite being as small as he was, Grispell was still strong enough to struggle with Albus.

Grispell gave a sorry and wide-eyed expression as he spoke, "Please, young master Albus, give me the satchel! I must have it! If I don't get the satchel for my mistress, my mistress will punish me!"

Everyone, including the teachers and those in the nearby portraits, were starting to notice the commotion at the Gryffindor table. Slowly, a garbling of voices were starting to rise up from the students at the neighboring tables and from the portraits nearby. From the teacher's table, Professor Beeblewing and Verena leaned forward in their chairs, looking on and listening to the commotion. Professor Titch and a couple of the other teachers on the other hand, stood up and was about to walk over to see what was going on.

"I've had enough of this," hissed Cyrus, who at the last minute, stepped in and helped Albus free Albus's satchel from the hands of Grispell. Grispell, in a state or fear and panic, then started running away underneath the table, going towards the entrance to the Great Hall. Grispell brushed past the shins of some of the Gryffindor students as he ran, who gasped and shrieked in terror as they sprang up from where they sat. Grispell then found his escape out the entrance to the Great Hall and vanished around the corner. Cyrus then ran after Grispell, soon followed by his siblings Darius and Evangeline.

"What in the world was _that_ all about? And what was that _thing_?" asked Rose, who had walked around to the other side of the Gryffindor table to help Albus.

"I don't know, Rose," said Albus looking at her, then looking back at the entrance, "But I bet it had something to do with what we were talking about."

As the students and teachers began to calm down and sit back down, Professor Beeblewing suddenly shifted her eyes and then started leaning back into her chair, suddenly frowning and looking on coolly as though she was disappointed by something. Verena then sent a cool glance over at Beeblewing soon after, noticing Beeblewing's reaction. Professor Beeblewing, noticing Verena's glance, soon responded with a strange wide-eyed 'what-are-you-looking-at?' glance, then looked away and settled completely back into her chair.

**EXT. HOGSMEADE, THE FAIRGROUNDS - EVENING (OCT. 25TH, 1976)**

On the fairgrounds just outside of Hogsmeade, various wizard venues and wizard venders were set up in celebration of the Lifebreath Festival, which occurred from Sept. 30th to Oct. 31st, ending with the Halloween Feast at Hogwarts. Severus, having sneaked out of Hogwarts without permission to come to the festivities, soon found himself completely immersed in all the sights, sounds and activities that moved about him. Various things were occurring, including a small demonstration of Magical Archery, which seemed strange since Magical Archery at this time was forbidden. Severus walked up to the crowd surrounding the demonstration and looked on, peeking through a hole in the crowd. He then noticed a familiar person standing in the front row. It was Verena, who at this time, Severus was still angry with for having a fight with Lily months back, so the sight of her did not please him.

Severus the heard a familiar voice behind him, "Sneaking about out of Hogwarts again, Severus?"

Severus turned and saw that it was Lucius, standing in the company of Scabior, looking on. Lucius had graduated sometime back and was now setting out for newer and better things in his job at the Ministry.

Severus turned and looked pleadingly up at Lucius, "Lucius, I was just coming to see what was going on. I didn't mean to..."

Lucius raised his hand, stopping Severus in mid-sentience. Lucius then brought his hand down and spoke once more, "It's alright, Severus. I'm not going to tell on you. I myself have come here tonight with Scabior here so that we could meet up with Verena."

As Lucius was speaking to Severus, Verena broke through the crowd and walked up to Lucius, having heard his voice through the crowd, "Hello Lucius and Scabior," - Verena then noticed Severus - "Severus...I must say that I am surprised to see you here."

Severus began to hiss at Verena upon the sight of her before him. Even now, months later, he was still sore about the fight that Verena had with Lily and thus he was in no mood to be friendly with Verena, "What are you doing here, Verena? And why are you even talking to me? I told you I didn't want to see or speak to you again!"

"Now, now, Severus, play nicely. It is all in the past now. And besides, surely you can keep the peace for just this one night for my sake. Though I almost didn't come tonight after the way Verena shunned me," said Lucius, staring coolly at Verena. Even now, Lucius was still feeling the sting of Verena's rejection months before.

"Lucius please, for the sake of our old friendship, let us put it all behind us just for tonight," said Verena.

"Now what is _this_ all about then?" asked Severus, staring back and forth between Verena and Lucius puzzlingly, wondering what could have happened between Verena and Lucius to have caused such a reaction from Lucius.

"It's a long story, Severus..." said Verena.

"I didn't ask you, you foul and wretched woman!" barked Severus, staring angrily at Verena, who gasped quietly and gave an angry stare back, who was just an inch away from wanting to pull out her wand and teach Severus a lesson. But Verena felt that Severus was just letting his anger get the better of him and didn't really mean it, so stopped herself from doing so.

Severus then looked back at Lucius as Lucius continued, "Now, Severus, hear me out. Verena has invited me and Scabior to try and put the past behind us for at least one night and now I am inviting you to join us."

Severus snarled briefly and then spoke softly, "Fine. But Verena better stay away from me!"

Verena narrowed her eyes briefly at Severus, then looked back and spoke to Lucius, "As we are now all aware, Severus here has sneaked out here tonight without a permission slip so that he could stay out here as long as he wishes. I invited you and Scabior to this festival so that we could catch up on old times and at least try to heal some open wounds that have been made between us. None of the teachers or other Hogwarts staff know that Severus is out here, so if you see any teachers or other Hogwarts staff wandering about out here, you all know what to do?" - Lucius and Scabior nodded. Verena then looked over at Severus briefly, getting a cold look back, then looked back at Lucius and continued, "Well then, let us all go enjoy the festivities together as old friends and as old confidants. Come along then everyone, let us..._explore_."

And with that, Verena gave a soft mischievous giggle, then walked off along with Lucius, Scabior and Severus, set out for an evening in Hogsmeade and at the festival. A couple hours later, Severus, who had wandered away from the others to look at a venue, suddenly noticed a strange blue light coming from an area beyond the fairgrounds. Spurred on by curiosity and the need to investigate the strange light, Severus quietly gave one look back to see where Verena and the others were, then slowly began to walk towards the light. The light sat on the very edge of the Dark Forest, close enough for its light to shine through the treeline, yet far enough inside the treeline that it would hardly be noticed. As Severus got closer, the light began to change shape. At first, Severus thought that it was light coming from a patronus.

But as Severus continued to get closer to the light, he came out onto a small clearing and soon noticed that the shape in the light was not that of an animal as Severus had suspected it to be as a patronus, but a set of glowing pillars which seemed to be almost entirely made of light. The light and the pillars appeared as though they were shinning through a long gash or tear in the air, as if an opening into another realm had been sliced open by an invisible blade. Blue light was bleeding out of the opening, some of which was running across the ground towards Severus as though it were blood. Apart from the area closest to Severus, its edges of the opening were blurred and bleeding into the background. The pillars of light looked like they were in the shape of roman pillars, set ten feet apart from one another. The area was bathed in blue light and sparkles of blue light floated through the air around it.

It didn't take long for Severus to realize that this was something out of the ordinary and walked closer to investigate. Soon, Severus began to hear a garble of soft voices coming from the opening as some of the sparkles of blue light began to drift away from the opening and float around Severus. To Severus, it felt as though the voices and the light were drawing Severus in. Severus did not understand why it was drawing him in, all he knew was that their was someone or something within the light that was wanting him to come inside it. Feeling compelled to enter, Severus looked dreamily on at the light, as if he was suddenly in a trance. And just before he was about to enter into the light, he suddenly began to feel light-headed and started to stumble, until eventually, he fell to the ground, inches away from the opening. And as he slowly began to black out, he noticed that the sparkles of light began to swarm around him. And then, blackness.

**INT. THE SNAPE FAMILY HOUSE (SEVERUS'S HOUSE), COKEWORTH, NORTHERN ENGLAND - EARLY EVENING (APR. 22ND, 1976)**

A few moments later, light began to enter Severus's eyes. The blurred images began to clear and sharpen, until finally, Severus found himself in his old bedroom at home, lying face first on his bed. Severus pushed himself onto his back and then sat up, rubbing the back of his head briefly. He felt achy all over, if not a bit tired, but was still able enough to stand up and walk around. Upon hearing familiar voices outside his bedroom door, Severus stood up and walked over to his bedroom door, stumbling slightly. Severus began to listen to the voices as he walked into the hallway beyond his bedroom door. Following the voices, he then stopped and listened at the closed door to his parent's bedroom.

"Now Edward, I am counting on you to protect this. It is a very old and dangerous item for a boy of your age to possess. Should Morfyrath and Lord Dianphor ever return and get a hold of this, it will be the death of us all, do you understand?"

"Yes, Madame Snape. I will not betray your trust in me and shall guard it with my life."

"Very good, Edward. You know where to take it where it will be safe for the time being. As for myself, I shall hold onto the key for now and when the time is right, we shall meet again. Until then, you may go out the way you came in."

"Yes, Madame Snape, I shall do as you say."

Upon hearing footsteps towards the door, Severus quickly stepped away from the door and hid around the corner as it opened. Looking around the corner, he noticed the familiar face of Edward Groset, who at this time, was going into his 5th year at Hogwarts. Edward Groset was in House Slytherin like Severus was, and thus was adorned in Slytherin dress robes. Curious to know how Edward had managed to get all the way to Cokeworth and why he was there, Severus began to follow Edward, noticing Edward holding an object under his arm that looked like a book covered over with a crimson red silk cloth. As Severus started to follow Edward down the stairs, he stopped in front of the open door to his parents bedroom, only getting a brief look at his mother Eileen inside the bedroom. Eileen, dressed in her best dress robes, was sitting at her dresser table holding up a shinning silver tin with strange inscriptions on it. The silver tin glowed with the same strange blue light that Severus had seen only minutes before. Severus was about to enter into the bedroom until he heard another familiar voice, "Eileen! Our guests are arriving! It's time to come down!"

"In a moment, Abigail!" called Eileen towards the door as she stuffed the sliver tin into her robe pocket. Eileen then quickly brushed her hair, then hurried her way towards the door.

"Mum!" said Severus, upon seeing his mother before him at the door, his face lighting up and smiling softly at her. But then, as Eileen closed the bedroom door and turned towards the stairs, it became apparent that she could neither see nor hear Severus. Severus quickly followed after her down the stairs.

Downstairs, Severus came upon the sight of quite a few people that he recognized, several of which were recognizably of the Snape Family as well as of the Prince Family. The lower level of the house was filled to capacity. Everyone who was not sitting down was either standing really close to others or being forced out into the courtyard behind the house.

"Looks like most of the Snape Family is here," said a voice nearby, as some woman's laughter, a garble of voices and the clinking of glasses could be heard floating through the air. Severus then noticed his mother standing next to his cousin Abigail Prince in the kitchen and walked over to investigate. Upon seeing Abigail, Severus noticed that her face was not scarred or burned, appearing as she did prior to the fire that killed Severus's family. Abigail was of House Ravenclaw and was coming near the end of her 6th year at Hogwarts, coming near the end of May. How or why Abigail was there was a mystery to Severus, just like in the case of Edward Groset.

"I don't understand it, auntie." said Abigail, punching at the door to the empty cupboard in the kitchen, "It just doesn't want to close all the way like it should. It keeps wanting to get stuck in that spot for some reason."

The cupboard had a slide open door and was built inside the wall. In many ways, it looked more like a closet rather then a cupboard, where a person could simply crawl inside and hide. The cupboard also had a special spell on it that made the outside of it fire proof. Thus, in the case of fire, someone could simply crawl in and close the door, keeping them safe from the flames. Severus had hidden in that cupboard many a times in the past to get away from his parents while they were arguing. But every now and then, like in the case now, the door to the cupboard would jam or seize up in one particular spot, forcing Eileen to leave it open about five inches.

"I know," said Eileen, mildly irritated, "I wish that Tobias would do something about it. Magic seems to work in closing it, but it doesn't fix the problem for some reason," - Eileen pushed on the cupboard door to try and get it loose, trying not to have to use her wand to close it, "There's simply no way around it. Tobias has got to fix it sometime soon. The door is the only thing keeping the mice out of it. I wish we had a cat sometimes."

Upon hearing another familiar voice, Severus soon walked away towards the courtyard, walking past members of his family that he had not seen in ages. Out in the courtyard, Severus came upon the sight of his father Tobias, talking to Lily Evan's father, Alfred James Evans. Sitting next to Tobias near his feet, was Hansel, who was panting and looking up at Alfred.

"It is nice to know that my advice has not gone to waste, Tobias." said Alfred softly, "I'm proud that you now realize the error of your ways. But your parents will still need a bit of convincing, this I don't doubt."

"I'll talk to them in a while. I'm sure they will come round eventually," said Tobias, who was sounding usually calm and acting more like he did prior to discovering that Eileen was a witch. Severus came up closer to his father and stood next to him. Severus could see and smell everything that was going on around him and for the first time in ages, Severus could not smell a single trace of alcohol on his father's clothes. Nor did Severus see any lipstick on his father's collar, which was a common sight on Tobias whenever he came home after a night of drinking and skirt chasing. Tobias was acting as though he was a totally different person from how Severus remembered him as and it made Severus curious as to what had brought about such a dramatic change in his father's actions and mood. Thinking about Lily, Severus looked up at Alfred, knowing that he was Lily's father and had been looked up by Severus many a times in the past as a sort of second father to him. It was nice for Severus to see Alfred again, but it was also nice to see his mother Eileen as well, despite the fact that either could not see or hear him.

Tobias soon spoke, "How am I ever going to forgive myself, Alfred? I've treated my wife and son so cruelly for all these many long years. I'm not sure if I will ever be able to heal the wounds I've made between them. And of course, there is the others I've wronged, which I'm not sure I'm going to be able to fix the problem with."

Alfred smiled and placed his left hand on Tobias's right shoulder, "I am sure you will find peace or neutral ground with all of them in the end, Tobias. Just you wait and see."

"I hope so, Alfred. I surely do." said Tobias as Alfred brought his hand down and brought it behind him. Alfred then looked over and noticed Edward Groset walking up out of the darkness, only this time, Severus didn't see Edward holding any object under his arm and had walked up to stand next to Alfred.

Alfred spoke once more, "My nephew Edward Groset, Tobias. He's in Slytherin House like your son Severus is. He's here doing some field work for school on finding and studying some of the rare floo flower species that grow around here."

"Well, I hope you do well with that, young Edward," said Tobias, bringing out his hand in greeting.

"Thank-you, sir, I'm hoping I will," said Edward, shaking Tobias's hand and them bringing his hand down again. Edward then turned to Alfred and spoke, "Uncle, it's time for me to do a nocturnal search for the rare Jewelilwyn Floo Flower. We only have the first 3 hours of every night till next week when it's not raining to look for it."

"Oh yes, we better go then and get on with it," said Alfred looking at Edward, then looking back at Tobias, "Good luck tonight, Tobias. I hope the meeting goes well."

"I hope it will to. Good luck with your pursuit as well, Alfred," said Tobias with a smile.

"Thank-you, Tobias. Me and my wife will see you soon."

And with that, Alfred left with Edward, going out the back entrance to the courtyard and out onto the cobbled back alley beyond it. Tobias then turned around and walked back inside the house. Severus followed soon after. Severus soon followed his father to the front yard area away from all the other people inside and as Severus stood in the entrance to the front door, soon finds his father talking to a member of the family. It was at this moment, as Severus's eyes fell upon the face of the person that his father was talking to, that he finally realized where he was and what he was looking at.

To his utter horror, Severus finally realized that this was the night that his family was killed in the fire that was set by Lady Mapheria, or by her other name, Mapheria Snape. Because of this, Severus truly despised Mapheria for killing his family and wanted so much to run up to her and strangle her. But since Severus was neither seen or heard, it was likely that all he would do was run right through her, like a ghost. So Severus was forced to watch from the front entrance to the house as Mapheria spoke to his father, watching the scene play out. Mapheria was wearing amber and white dress robes, looking fairly pleased with herself as she began walking in circles around Tobias.

"I am so glad to see you in better spirits tonight, Tobias," said the cool voice of Mapheria Snape, looking alluringly at Tobias as she slowly walked in circles around him.

"I didn't invite you here Mapheria and you already know the reason why. You're only here to cause trouble and chaos in the family. Trouble when all I want to do now is heal the wounds between all of us. I already told you once before and I will tell you again...I won't run away with you and leave Eileen and Severus behind."

"But surely you realize by now that it is to late for you and Eileen to mend things. You've already dung the hole you stand in now with her and Severus. You might as well let it fall out and come with me," said Mapheria as she stopped in front of Tobias and turned to face him, "I am your cousin, Tobias. And not only your cousin, but your friend. And surely you know by now that I've been fighting these feelings I have for you for far longer then I dare to remember. We grew up together you and I. We know each others likes, wants and needs." - Mapheria walked up to Tobias and embraced him affectionately, looking into his eyes, "You loved me before, Tobias. Surely you can love me again, if only you would try. I have not forgotten how to love or be loved, despite whatever has happened between us in the past."

"You nearly had my brother killed, Mapheria! My own brother Edward! I will never forgive you for that! You lost whatever love I had for you that day and all the days after and now. I don't love you anymore, Mapheria. I love Eileen and I will always love Eileen!" - Tobias then angrily shoved Mapheria off of him.

With a wide-eyed look of anger, Mapheria snarled and stepped back away from Tobias, "You've forgotten, Tobias. Our parents paired us together! We were meant for one another, Tobias, you and Eileen were not! She is not worthy of you or of your parent's money! You're a fool Tobias to think that you could get away from me that easily! I _will_ have what is rightfully mine and take you away from Eileen! Just you watch!"

Tobias stared at Mapheria as if she had gone mad, "What's happened to you, Mapheria? You use to never be like _this_! You use to be soft spoken and good natured! Now look at you! A selfish, pitiful, fool of a woman whose jealously and lust has brought her to madness! You are not welcome at my house anymore Mapheria! Now get out of here and out of my sight before my parents find you here!"

Mapheria let out an enraged shriek, then snarled as she spoke to Tobias one last time, "Very well, Tobias! This will be the last time you'll ever see me and the last night that you will see your family alive...ever!"

Tobias's eyes suddenly widened to what he had just heard, then began to snarl angrily at Mapheria as she ran off, "How dare threaten me and my family you mad old hag! Don't you dare threaten my family! Ever!"

"Oh, we'll see about that, Tobias! I'll show you! I'll show all of you! No one steals from me and gets away with it!" yelled back Mapheria as she ran around the corner, vanishing from Tobias's sight. Tobias then ran to the corner to see where Mapheria went. But even though Mapheria was nowhere to be seen and everything was at peace for the moment, there was no doubt in Tobias's mind that Mapheria was going to get her revenge on him...one way or the other.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 22...**


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22: TO THE END (PART 2)

**EXT. TO INT. THE SNAPE FAMILY HOUSE (SEVERUS'S HOUSE), COKEWORTH, NORTHERN ENGLAND - EARLY EVENING (APR. 22ND, 1976)  
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After making sure that everything was in order both inside and outside the house, Tobias tied Hansel to his doghouse and keeled down to pet him. Severus watched as some of the guests out in the courtyard began to come into the house, trying to find a place to sit or stand in the living room. Severus then noticed his father from the back entrance of the house and turned his head to watch. Hansel, ever friendly and willing to please, licked Tobias on the face, then crawled into his doghouse and lied down.

Tobias smiled as he spoke, "Good boy, Hansel. Now you stay back here and guard the courtyard. And if Mapheria happens to come back here to cause trouble, you bark as loud as you can and I will come, OK?"

Hansel gave a reassuring bark and then licked Tobias on the hand as Tobias stood back up again and walked over towards the back entrance to the house. Tobias quickly blew out the candle lit lanterns which sat near the back entrance to the house and then quickly called in the rest of the guests who were not yet inside. A few minutes later, Tobias stood up on the stair case next to Eileen and began to say a speech to all 21 guests that were present in the house. In this speech, Tobias was saying among other things, asking for forgiveness for all that he had done and explaining to the family that they should no longer fear or hate wizards and accept them for who and what they were. While Severus was listening to his father from the back entrance, he suddenly felt the urge to turn around and look at Hansel.

Severus turned his head, only to see that Hansel was now sitting on his haunches outside of his doghouse, looking straight up at Severus and panting. Severus then turned completely around and started walking up to Hansel. It appeared as though Severus was unheard and unseen no more, at least in the case of Hansel.

"Hansel? Can you...see me?" asked Severus as he kneeled down in front of Hansel. Hansel gave a quick friendly bark then walked closer and sat at Severus's feet, putting his front paws up onto Severus's bent leg and wagging his tail. Severus became confused. How was it that none of Severus's family could see or hear Severus, while Hansel, for some strange and unforeseeable reason, could?

Severus didn't care of course. Severus was just glad that someone could see and hear him, and began to pet and hug Hansel close to him, getting a friendly lick on the face. Suddenly, Severus could hear the wooden door to the cobblestone courtyard fence slowly and ominously open. Severus quickly stood up and watched as Hansel began to growl, bearing his teeth towards the door. From out of the darkness beyond the courtyard fence appeared Mapheria, wearing her recognizable violet-purple robes, sliver strings of tiny glittering sliver bells and brandishing her wand. Severus could hear the tiny sliver bells jingle softly and sinisterly as they hung off the sliver strings on her robes and in the braid of tiny glittering silver bells in her hair, jingling as she slowly walked across the courtyard. Hearing those bells jingle again made it all the more obvious to Severus that this was the night that Mapheria was to kill his family. Mapheria quickly pointed her wand towards the back door and quietly spoke, "_Colloportus_!", closing the door and locking it. She then quietly spoke another spell, "_Fusus Metallum_!" causing the lock on the door to melt and thus making it unable to be opened again.

Mapheria then pulled it out a strange gold locket from underneath the front of her robes that was hung around her neck and held it for a moment. The small, round gold locket hung from a long copper and gold change and was covered in elegant copper filigree and with a large round blue stone in the center of its lid. She then spoke a strange spell softly, "_Morfyrathos Ignis Eximo..._"

In an instant, the locket sprang open and a crimson red light slowly began to out from it, transforming into a stream about 10 feet long. Mapheria watched with wicked intent as the stream of crimson red light began to circle around Mapheria like a great and faceless serpent, arching itself over her and hovering in the air around her. Hissing could be heard resonating from the light as Mapheria spoke, "If I know Eileen and Tobias, they will try to save themselves for the sake of there son. They will try to get into that enchanted cabinet of theirs, together if they can. You know what to do my pet, but not until after I have found what is rightfully mine and do what I came here to do. Make them suffer my pet...make them both suffer..."

And with that, the stream of crimson red light then moved away from Mapheria and flew straight up into the air before it vanished in a haze of crimson red light, disappearing from Mapheria's sight.

Eileen had placed some empty spirit lanterns up for decoration and in celebration of the upcoming Deathlight Festival, which began on May 1st and ended on June 30th. Made of special clear crystal glass and cypress wood, these lanterns were more then just mere decoration. These lanterns were enchanted with magic and were said to able to draw in and hold the spirit of someone who has died indefinitely. Like the candle lit lanterns seen flying over Hogsmeade Station when Albus first arrived there, these lanterns flew and floated about independently, powered by magic. However, spirit lanterns were powered by the magical powers of the souls which glowed and inhabited within them.

With one swish of her wand, Mapheria destroyed all the empty spirit lanterns that were hung on nails above the back entrance, causing them to implode, then fall apart and fall to the ground. This was to ensure that no one's soul would be saved within one. Mapheria then looked up and noticed that a window on the second floor was wide open, which lead into Eileen's and Tobias's bedroom.

Mapheria smiled sinisterly as she peered up at it, "If I can't have what is rightfully mine, then no one will. Now I shall ensure that no one will escape and claim the Book of Resurrections and its key for myself!"

And with that, Mapheria swished her wand, causing all the doors and windows in the house to close and lock tight. Then all the locks and latches on them began to glow hot and melt. Mapheria then spoke a couple other spells that Severus did not recognize, casting them all over the outside of the house and then watched as Mapheria moved to the front of the house. There, she then transformed herself into a cloud of black smoke and then walked through the front door before transforming back to herself again. Then she quickly transformed herself into a black snake and began to slither across the floor towards the stairs while Tobias was still in his speech, crawling past everyone that was in the living room and going up the stairs. Hansel was barking like mad and pulling hard on his rope while all this was happening, trying to free himself and warn Tobias. But it was as though his barks were falling on deaf ears.

Severus didn't know what to do as he began to run to the back door and then to the front door, trying to get in and stop Mapheria. But both doors were completely melted shut by their locks and Severus was powerless to get in any other way. Then in a flash, Severus found himself inside the house, standing in his parent's bedroom, looking at Mapheria, who was once again her own self, kneeling down over a large open wooden trunk that sat in the far corner of the bedroom. Mapheria was frantically rummaging inside the trunk, tossing other items out and onto the floor.

Then she heard a familiar voice behind her, "How did you get in here?"

Mapheria quickly stood up and spun around, where she came face to face with Eileen. Severus looked over, surprised to see his mother standing there looking at Mapheria.

Mapheria then tried to play it cool and began to talk with Eileen, "Why if it isn't Eileen Snape nee Prince, the soon to be former Guardian Of The Eighth Eye."

"What are you doing in here Mapheria?" said Eileen angrily, "My husband didn't invite you here! And what do you mean by Guardian Of The Eighth Eye? I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I am not a fool, Eileen!" said Mapheria, stepping closer to Eileen and then stopping, "I know that you have The Book of Resurrections and I also know that you are its guardian. Where is it? It rightfully belongs to me!"

"You lost all chance in becoming its guardian when you nearly killed Tobias's brother Edward! Your powers are far to unpredictable and dangerous for you to be burdened which such an ancient and powerful weapon. That is why it was given to me to protect when me and Tobias were married. It rightfully belongs to me now, just as the key to it is!"

"And yet you fail to forget that I was destined to become the guardian of both at birth, due to my remarkably unusual magical abilities. I am a Bearer Of The Auranan, Eileen! I was born with the power to protect it as well as use the powers that lie within it! Not you! Now give me what is rightfully mine or I shall kill you sooner rather than later!"

"Never! You will never have the Book Of Resurrections! And even you could find it and take it from me, it will be useless to you without the key! Which you will never have!"

"And yet even now I can sense the presence of the key to the book in your robe pocket. You stole everything that was rightfully mine, Eileen! The book, the key and your beloved Tobias!"

"You will never get Tobias on your side, Mapheria! You very nearly killed his own brother! He is my husband! He loves me! Not you!"

"No!" yelled Mapheria with a wide-eyed and angry stare, "He rightfully belongs to _me_! I got to him first! All you have rightfully belongs to me! The key and the book, Eileen! They are rightfully mine! Give them to me now!"

"Never!" said Eileen, drawing out her wand and aiming it at Mapheria.

"Is that your final answer, Eileen?" said Mapheria, pulling out her own wand and aiming it at Eileen.

"If you want the key and the book so badly Mapheria, then you will have to kill me for them!"

Mapheria grinned sinisterly as she spoke, "_So be it_!"

Severus then cried out in fear for his mother, "Mum! no!"

In an instant, Mapheria waved her wand and cried, "_Avada Kedavra_!" - sending out a bolt of green light from the tip of her wand and towards Eileen. Eileen quickly deflected it towards the wall. Eileen then countered with, "_Petrificus Totalus_!" - sending out a bolt of blue light and sending it towards Mapheria. Mapheria deflected it back to Eileen, who then deflected it away from her. In a flash, Severus was once again back downstairs as those who were present downstairs, including Tobias, soon heard the commotion upstairs and began to panic. Eileen and Mapheria were now dueling with one another down the stairs, with everyone downstairs looking on in fear. Those inside were soon trying to get out of the house and out of the way of the duel, but quickly realized that the doors would not open. And when some of them tried to disapparate, it would not work. They were all trapped inside, with seemingly no way out.

Tobias, wanting to stop Mapheria, soon ran to the rescue of his wife. But before he could get close enough to Mapheria to stop her, Mapheria pointed her wand at him and cried "_Immobilus!_", hitting him with a bolt of white light and causing him to fall to the floor. Mapheria then focused her attention back on Eileen, who continued to barrage her with a variety of curses and hexes. Then Abigail stepped in, helping Eileen push Mapheria back towards the direction of the kitchen, where they would be able to deal with Mapheria properly by shoving her into the cupboard. With one cheap shot of "_Expelliarmus_!" from Mapheria's wand, Mapheria knocked Abigail's wand out of her hand, causing it to fly off and land in a place out of Abigail's reach. Abigail was forced step out of the fight to try and reach it. Finally, when Eileen had weakened Mapheria's defenses just enough, Eileen then cried out, "_Lumos Deflectio_!" - sending a wall of light towards Mapheria, knocking her back hard into the wall behind her.

Unable to withstand Eileen's brute force any longer, Mapheria quickly transformed herself into a gecko lizard and began scurrying towards the front door. All around Mapheria, some of those inside tried to stomp on Mapheria as Eileen continued to send curses towards her. Then at the last moment, Mapheria crawled underneath the front door and out of danger. She then transformed herself back to her own self and quickly turned and faced the house. Eileen, like others in the house, tried to open the door in order to follow Mapheria. But the door would not budge, not even an inch.

Seeing that the door would not work, Eileen quickly went back to see if Tobias was alright while Severus ran to the window closest to the front door. Outside, Severus could see Mapheria facing the house and looking up at it, seemingly in a daze. It was as though, for the briefest of moments, Mapheria was having second thoughts about what she was about to do next. But after a few brief moments, Mapheria narrowed her eyes and spoke, "Farewell, my once-was family..._Incendio Bombarda_!"

With a swish from her wand, Mapheria sends a bolt of red light towards the house, causing it to explode and catch on fire. Then in a flash, Severus was once again outside of his house, which was now engulfed in flames. Then images began to flash before his eyes, images of those who were trapped inside, unable to get out. In the far corner of the living room, Severus could see his uncle Edward Snape, trying desperately to find a way out of the house, but to no avail. And yet other family members were panicking and running around inside the burning house, screaming, pleading and crying out in fear and terror. A couple family members were already engulfed in flames, shrieking in pain and running around in panic before ultimately falling to the floor, dead. Yet a couple more family members were falling and rolling on the floor, trying to put themselves out, while still others bravely tried to help put others out and try to find a way out.

In yet another corner of the living room, Severus could see his cousin James Starvel and James's younger brother Patrick holding onto one another. Patrick, who was only 10 years old at the time, was shaking and sobbing loudly as James held him close to him. Unlike Patrick, James was trying to be calm and wrapped Patrick up in his robes as if trying to shield him from the flames. But even they were destined to find their fate. Some even tried climbing out through the windows, which appeared to have been broken out by the explosion and yet they couldn't get out through them.

Severus then could see Abigail, who was running towards the kitchen and towards the fire proof cupboard. Noticing James and Patrick cowering in the corner, Abigail pleaded with James to let her have Patrick, but James knew that their was only enough room in the cupboard for one adult or two small children. James and Abigail yelled at each other over the roar of the flames, arguing with one another.

"You can't save us, Abigail! Please! Go! You're the more important one here! The wizarding world needs you more then they need me and Patrick! You need to go!"

"James, please! Let me have Patrick, I can save him!"

"No, go! There's no room in the cupboard for both you and him! I will try to save him myself! Please, get in the cupboard now!"

"But you and Patrick won't survive!" shrieked Abigail, pulling on James's arm, "You're both going to die! Please, give Patrick to me!"

"No!" cried James, shoving Abigail away, "Go! Get out of here! Please, go! Go now before it's to late! Run Abigail, run!"

James then began to scream out in pain as the flames began to consume him and Patrick. With great reluctance, Abigail looked at James in horror, then ran towards the cupboard in the kitchen, quickly crawling into it. But as she tried to close the door, the door stuck, leaving it jammed open about five inches. Abigail began to panic, struggling to get the door to shut completely. But without her wand, she would be unable to close it all the way. Then the flames began to circle around the cupboard, burning away the wall it was built in and leaving it exposed in the center of the burning circle. Then something strange began to happen. The circle of flames around the cupboard changed into a deep crimson color and as Abigail looked out through the gap in the door, she could see the burning face of a dragon glowing within the crimson flames all around her, coming towards her and the cupboard.

With both fear and awe in her voice, Abigail's eyes open wide as she spoke, "Morfyrathus Fire?...but how...?"

A rush of crimson flame then suddenly flooded into the cupboard through the gap in the door, causing Abigail to scream and cry out in pain. Severus could see all this and yet he could do nothing to help as images of the house engulfed in flames began to appear once again, while the screams, shrieks and cries for help continued, resonating through the air. Further flashes of images soon entered Severus's mind, flashes of images of those who had died in the fire, which appeared as though they were looking straight at him. Then suddenly, darkness.

**INT. THE SNAPE FAMILY COURTYARD, COKEWORTH, NORTHERN ENGLAND - A HALF HOUR BEFORE DAWN (APR. 23RD, 1976)**

Then in an instant, Severus found himself lying on the ground, his face and clothes covered in ash and soot. Soon, Severus began to hear Hansel running towards him, whimpering, barking at him and licking his face. Feeling Hansel licking his face, Severus groaned quietly as he rubbed the back of his neck and sat up.

As Severus sat up, he quickly realized that it was almost dawn, with the glow of twilight just beginning to shine over the horizon. Severus could see an eerie blue glow shinning on everything as a heavy fog blanketed the courtyard and hung in air around him. To him, it felt as though he was being bathed in light from another world. He noticed that it was strangely quiet for being dawn, when birds would normally be heard chirping and singing their songs. After finding his bearings, Severus started to look all around at the devastation which lied before him, partially hidden within the heavy clouds of fog. From what he could see through the fog, he could see that the house was completely burned to the ground, with broken cobblestone, bricks, burned rumble and ash scattered everywhere. It appeared as though an explosion had occurred there and that it had destroyed almost everything in sight. Even now, the rubble that was the house was still smoldering and smoke from it was still raising into the air around Severus. Having witnessed the demise of his family, Severus bowed his head and began to cry, unable to hold back his tears.

It appeared as though only he and Hansel were the only things still living there. Then suddenly, a strange blue light began to shine through the fog and beamed into Severus's eyes, grabbing his attention. The light was coming from the direction of where the house once stood, prompting Severus to wipe the tears from his eyes and stand up, following the light to its source. As Severus got closer and closer to the light, the fog around him parted and a soft whirring sound could be heard, which slightly irritated Severus's ears. The light once again beamed at Severus's eyes, causing Severus to bring his arm up to shield his eyes.

Then Severus saw where the light was coming from. It was shinning off of something round, silvery and metallic, which was sitting on top of a small pile of glowing embers. Severus then realized what it was and kneeled down over it. It was the curious silver tin that his mother was holding up and then stuffed into her robe pocket before the fire, untouched by the flames and completely intact. Severus was stunned and a bit confused. It was as if some strange and ancient magic reverberated from it and had protected it while the house was burning. Severus stared apprehensively at the silver tin as a flash of blue light danced across its lid and over the seven small circular holes that were set in a circle within the lid, with sparkles of blue light circling and flying all around it. Then, for some strange reason, Severus felt the need to pick up the silver tin and hold it. But Severus was wondering if he would be able to pick it up at all or if all that had been happening was merely just a figment of his imagination. But Severus, following his feelings, reached out and touched the sliver tin. Severus could feel the coldness of the metal, how the fiery embers that glowed around it were still hot and yet the sliver tin itself was ice cold.

Severus then wrapped his hands around the silver tin, picked it up and then laid it in his lap, looking at it in both awe and confusion as a flash of blue light danced over it once again. Severus was interested in the strange inscriptions on it most of all, because it was a writing that he had seen only once before in a book on ALPs Scriptures. And strangely, Severus could read some of the writing on it.

Severus looked at the sliver tin coolly and questionably as he read some of the writing on the sliver tin, "...to find its seven eyes, you must first find its seven tails?"

Hansel suddenly began to whimper and bark, getting Severus's attention. Severus didn't know who or what Hansel was barking at until he looked up and saw a figure of a woman, covered in soot and walking out of the clouds of fog in front of him. Severus then realized that it was his Aunt Adelaide, seemingly walking out of the fog in a state of dread and confusion. She then spotted Hansel and cried out, "Hansel! You're alive!" - she then called back behind her - "Hansel is alive! Nathalius, come help me free him!"

Adelaide then ran towards Hansel and kneeled down next to him and his doghouse.

"Hansel! You're alive you old mutt! Finally, we found someone alive here," cried a man who followed Adelaide out of the fog and kneeled down next to her as Adelaide. He was a tall, fair-skinned man with shoulder length black hair and hazel-brown eyes. Though his face and clothes were partially covered with soot, Severus recognized him almost immediately.

"Nathalius! He's no mutt! It's a miracle that he is still alive!" - said Adelaide, who then talked towards Hansel as she grabbed onto Hansel and hugged him close to her - "Aren't you Hansel? You big, hairy, beautiful boy." - Hansel barked excitedly and licked Adelaide's face, seemingly happy to see her.

"Aunt Adelaide, Uncle Nathalius. You...you were here? But I don't..." Severus then heard a shriek from out of the fog, coming from the direction of where the house once stood. This shriek caused Adelaide and Nathalius to stand up in attention and turn quickly to face the direction from where the shriek came from. Stumbling out of the fog and with her hand over the left side of her face, was Abigail, crying out for help and shrieking out in pain. Abigail had been badly burned on her left shoulder and on the left side of her face, struggling to stay on her feet long enough to get to where Adelaide and Nathalius were standing.

"Abigail! Oh no, Abigail!" cried Adelaide as she and Nathalius ran towards Abigail and helped her out into the clearing. Abigail soon fell into Adelaide's arms and then fell to her knees with Adelaide, sobbing. Abigail was almost completely covered in soot and the parts of her robes on her left side were torn and burned. Adelaide tries to comfort Abigail while Nathalius calls for help from police nearby. Soon, more people appeared out of the fog with blankets and began helping Abigail to waiting medics. While Adelaide was helping Abigail, Nathalius quickly untied Hansel from his doghouse and began pulling him along with him. After a few moments, Severus was once again alone. Severus then noticed a blue light shinning in his face and brought up his arm to try and shield his eyes. Looking past his arm, he noticed that the light was coming from the still intact hedge that was nearby. Cautiously and with the sliver tin in hand, Severus stood up and walked over to the hedge, unsure of who or what he was going to find there. Severus then cautiously and quietly pulled the hedge apart with his hands to see what was behind it and soon gazed upon the source of the blue light.

It was a lone spirit lantern, hovering quietly and with a bright blue light shinning within its center. Severus then remembered that the light itself was the soul of a wizard or witch that had departed and was held within the lantern while it traveled to the Spirit world. Spirit Lanterns were carriers of the soul of the departed, built by the soul of the departed that dwell within them by use of their abilities in spirit magic. It was obvious that Mapheria was unaware of this when she destroyed the spirit lanterns that had been hanging above the back entrance and assumed that no one of Severus's family knew spirit magic and wouldn't be able to save their soul in one. But as far as Severus knew, he knew of only one person in his family who was experienced enough in spirit magic that when they would die, they would be able to make a spirit lantern with their own spirit magic and hold their soul within it indefinitely, his mother, Eileen.

"Mum?" asked Severus. But the only response that Severus got was a very soft whirring sound and the light within the spirit lantern suddenly changing from blue to purple. Suddenly, the sliver tin that Severus was holding began to glow with the same blue light that the spirit lantern had shown earlier, with a cloud of blue light and sparkles of blue light dancing around it. Severus looked down at the sliver tin, wondering what was going on. Then, an image came into his mind. It was an image of his mother and it was talking to him. He listened to the image of Eileen in his mind, nodding a couple times in response to what she was saying.

"Yes...I understand...I will do as you say...I will guard it...But what about Edward? He needs to know that...Oh, I understand...Yes...I will...I will..." - Severus then began to tear up once more and looked away, looking down at the ground once more as the spirit lantern floated closer to him. With tears trickling down his cheeks, Severus brought his forehead up to the spirit lantern as it floated close to his face.

"Yes, I will be strong...I will try...I miss you Mum...Why did you have to leave me here alone?" - Severus then began to sob quietly as the spirit lantern bumped up against Severus's forehead. Severus continues to listen to the image in his head as he looked up at the spirit lantern once more, "I know...Yes...Aunt Adelaide has been taking care of me and Hansel. Hansel is getting old, Mum. It is likely that he won't live for much longer..." - Severus then looked at the spirit lantern puzzlingly, "What?...Oh, I didn't know...and you gave it to him?...I didn't know..." - Severus then followed the spirit lantern with his eyes as it began to float up into the air, its light changing from purple, to blue and then to golden-yellow, "No...Don't go...Don't leave me..." - the spirit lantern stopped a moment and turned around in the air. Severus's eyes then grew wide, "What?...That's impossible...I hate Verena, why would I ever want to love and be with her? I love Lily...oh...I see...I know..." - Severus then looked away towards the direction of where Adelaide and Abigail went, then looked back, only to see that the spirit lantern was now hovering high above the courtyard.

Severus then looked up sadly at the spirit lantern as it slowly flew off towards the Northeast, drifting slowly farther and farther away as its light once again changed, going from golden-yellow to blue once more. Severus then spoke, "Mum...goodbye..." - Severus then bowed his head and began to cry once more, with tears falling on the lid of the sliver tin as he continued to hold it in his hands. Suddenly, Severus began to hear the distant voice of Verena calling to him, "Severus? Severus! Wake up, Severus!"

Severus quickly placed the sliver tin into his robe pocket and wiped away the tears in his eyes with his sleeve before he turned towards the source of the voice and walked into the fog towards it, "Verena? Verena, where are you?" - Then, in a flash, Severus once again found himself lying on the ground face up, looking up at a mildly concerned Verena, who was kneeling down over him and trying to shake him awake. Severus blinked his eyes for a moment, then sat up, rubbing the back of his neck as Lucius kneeled down next to Verena and Scabior stood behind Lucius.

"Are you alright, Severus?" asked Lucius.

"He seems alright, Lucius. But where on Earth did he go?" said Verena as she and Lucius helped Severus onto his feet, placing an arm a piece over their shoulders.

"What happened? I fainted. Where did I...?" said Severus, acting as though he was drunk, falling in and out of consciousness.

"You fell out of a hole in the air, Severus. It looked like a part of The Fringes," said Scabior nonchalantly, fidgeting with his fingers, though Scabior was concerned in his own way.

"The Fringes? You mean...?" said Severus as he continued to act a bit groggy, trying to keep his eyes open.

"Yes, Severus. It appears that you were in the spirit world for a few minutes and it sent you somewhere. But where I do not know," - Verena then spoke to Lucius, "Come, Lucius, we need to take Severus somewhere where he can rest and be looked after."

And with that, Verena and Lucius helped Severus walk back towards Hogsmeade and out of the Dark Forest while Scabior drew out his wand and looked around him as he followed along behind, watching to make sure that no one and nothing was following them. Unbeknownst to the group however, they were being watched by strange blue figures, who watched in the shadows hidden in the underbrush. The brush glowed a dimly blue light in the darkness nearby as sparkles of blue light danced around it in the air. Soon, a brief moment of gentle child's laughter was heard in the air as a pair of little glowing blue tails disappeared into the underbrush, vanishing out of sight. The blue light that glowed within the underbrush then faded and vanished without a trance. The forest had become quiet once more.

**CONTINUED...CHAPTER 23...**


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS...

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, THE HOSPITAL WING - NOON (******OCT. 26TH**, 1976)**

All the beds in the hospital wing were full of students of every school year, while visitors were coming and going through the entrance to the hospital wing. It was unusually active with visitors and students. This was due to the fact that many of the students in the beds were recovering from injuries they had acquired from the last Quidditch match and were being visited by friends and family that had come to see the match. Severus was lying alone in the bed in the far corner of the room, sleeping off the experience that he had last night. Poppy Pomfrey, the head nurse, soon strutted over to Severus's bedside and began to gently nudge Severus awake. Respectfully known as Madame Pomfrey by both the students and the teachers, she was an older, light-skinned woman with greying hair. Pomfrey was often known as a stern, no nonsense type of woman and often took her job as head nurse very seriously. However, she was also known to be kind, concerning and considerate. In her younger years, Madame Pomfrey once had long, flowing black hair which was not dissimilar to Severus's mother Eileen's hair when she was a student at Hogwarts. Madame Pomfrey had been the head nurse for as long as Severus could remember and for all he knew, she might have even been head nurse even when his mother Eileen was a student.

"Mr. Snape," said the stern voice of Pomfrey, "You have been sleeping all morning. Surely you should be awake by now, especially when you have no excuse to sleep longer. I will not have any of my charges sleeping all day when they should be getting up as soon as possible and getting back to their studies. Now, I want you to sit up so that I can fluff up this pillow behind you. You have visitors waiting outside to see you. Come along now, sit up."

Severus groaned in disagreement as he sat himself up, allowing Pomfrey to get behind him and fluff up the large feather down pillow that he had behind him. Severus didn't want to wake up. He wanted to sleep until he felt like waking up, which would have been at least 2pm before he would have even considered waking up. But since Pomfrey was his superior, it was unwise to argue with her. Soon, visitors came to see him, some of which were acquaintances, while others were a little more then such. Soon, Edward Groset came by and began to quietly discuss about the matter of the book and the key. Since they were both in a spot in the hospital wing where they would not be overheard, it was easy for Edward and Severus to discuss things in a delicate manner.

"I want to believe you, Severus. But I still need a bit of convincing before I would consider trusting you with the key," said Edward, sitting in a chair next to Severus's bedside.

"The nerve of you, Edward, I trust you as much as my mother did. So why won't you trust me with the key? I was put in charge of it after my mother died. She told be to guard it and make sure that no one but the Guardian Of The Eighth Eye or a possessor of the Auranan could possess it if need be,"

"Which is _me_, Severus, if you have forgotten," said Edward, bringing his hands up to his chest, then bringing them down again, "I am The Guardian Of The Eighth Eye, appointed by those who are descended from those who once followed Auradinthia to guard the Book of Resurrections from those who sought to use it for their own evil purposes. But of course, I can't forget the roll that your family played in this back in the day,"

"Yes. And if you have forgotten, members of my family over the years have been appointed to guard the key to the Book Of Resurrections for good reason. My family has been the keepers of much ancient knowledge and many great secrets over the years, Edward. And you certainly can't fail to remember that members of my family became guardians of the key because of their gift of the Auranan."

"I know that, Severus," said Edward, "It's just that the key should have stayed in Auradinthia's family, where it could be properly guarded by her followers along with the book. But the followers of Auradinthia were not about to argue over her judgement, especially with the magical powers that she possessed. And I suppose it was for the greater good that the key and the book were separated, when it made it all the more easier to guard them since either can not work without the other."

"Quite so," said Severus as a pair of students passed, "But it also makes them all the more easier to steal and be misused. But as you say, either is useless without the other. And I have no doubt that they are safer when separated rather than when together. Don't you agree?"

"Of course, Severus. Then again, there is also the problem with your cousin Abigail," said Edward with a sigh, crossing his arms.

"Must you bring _that_ up, Edward?" said Severus, placing his head back on the pillow behind him, looking up at the ceiling, "I know, it's both a curse and a blessing what happened to Abigail that night in the fire. But how Mapheria didn't realize that my mother was not in the fire proof cabinet is beyond me. Mapheria intended to make my parents suffer by cursing them with Morfyrathus Fire, thinking that they would be hiding in the cabinet. But instead she ended up hurting the one person that would benefit the most from being burned by Morfyrathus Fire, my cousin Abigail. Though I have no doubt that many will seek my cousin out because of her special sight given to her by Morfyrathus Fire,"

"But _how_ does she benefit from being burned by Morfyrathus Fire? From what I've known and heard about Morfyrathus Fire, no good ever comes out of being burned by it,"

"That is normally true. But you see, Edward, certain magical abilities of my cousin Abigail possesses makes her not your ordinary witch, just as her special sight is not ordinary. Morfyrathus Fire you see not only comes from the creature that made it but also comes from the world of Spirit and anything of or related to it often tends to go North or how do you say, hand in hand with one another?"

"You mean, you're cousin Abigail has an ability that, how you say, _relates_ to or with the Spirit world? Like what?" asked Edward, curious.

"Well, you see Edward, witches like my cousin Abigail go by quite a few names. Muggles call them Mediums, others call them Diviners, but they are often called Seers. Witches and/or wizards who have the ability to talk to and see the departed. Or in other words, see into the world of Spirit, or into the past, present and future,"

Edward's eyes widened, "Oh, I see now. Magical powers like those are technically Spirit Magic and therefore come from and are of the world of Spirit."

"Precisely. When Abigail was born, she was discovered to be the first Seer of the Prince Family in over 500 years. Of course, her powers were already honed even at a young age. Thus, being burned by Morfyrathus Fire would simply..." - Severus made a gesture into the air with his left hand then brought it down again, "..._excel_ her abilities, making them stronger and more powerful. Of course, her special sight allows her to see more than just the departed. Her special sight also gives her the ability to seek out the most powerful sources of magical power,"

"Or in other words, she's a divining rod, pointing you to magic rather than water?"

Severus smirked, then snickered briefly, "Putting it quite humorously. But she can also see the auras of people and invisible objects, as well as see those hiding under invisibility cloaks. My cousin Abigail, if only I had the nerve to see her now," said Severus, looking towards the window next to him.

"But you don't have the nerve, do you?" said Edward as Severus turned his head slightly. Edward continued, "Suffering from a bit of survivor's guilt, are we?"

"I should have been there, Edward," said Severus agitatedly, looking back at Edward once more, "_Properly_ been there, not just...I should have been there to stop it from happening, Edward. I would have stopped it from happening, I know I could have," - Severus then looked forward into space and continued, "But I wasn't there...properly there. There...but not properly, not physically...sort of. I was helpless, Edward. Forced to watch Mapheria kill my family, forced to watch my family die without any means of stopping it from happening," - Severus then looked back at Edward, "Can you realize how that makes me feel, Edward? To be one of the last of my family, one of the last to carry the name of Snape?"

Edward looked on sadly as he brought his arms down to his sides, "I realize how you must feel, Severus. But avoiding your cousin or what remains of your family won't help to ease your suffering. You should go visit Abigail and the Prince Family, catch up on old times perhaps? I'm sure they'd like to see you."

Severus lips suddenly curled and he sneered. He then looked back at the window again, saying nothing more.

**EXT. TO INT. HOGWARTS SHCOOL GROUNDS TO THE SLYTHERIN COMMON ROOMS - AFTERNOON (OCT. 31ST, 1977)**

Soon, another year had passed and Severus was once again walking out across the school grounds during break times. Even since he had broken his friendship with Verena and had lost Lily's friendship, he had been pondering and walking alone, sitting under the same tree that he had once shared space under with Verena or walking up into the Owlery where he use to join Lily to overlook the school grounds surrounded by owls that flew passed them or over their heads. Things since then had gotten very lonely for Severus and even now, as he thought about those old days with his old friends, he couldn't help but also think about those he had left behind, such as his cousin Abigail.

After walking over the school grounds alone for a while, Severus suddenly found himself in the Owlery, a lone towering structure made of stone which had a large room at the top of it. Owls of all kinds perched and rested here, some of which belonged to students, while others were mere mail owls belonging to the entire family of certain students. Fortunately for Severus, The Snape Family's mail owl, a large barn owl named Shambole, was still very much alive and well and living with the Prince Family. Shambole had came to Hogwarts with cousins of Severus who were members of the Prince Family and had came to Hogwarts School around the same time Severus did. Shambole was fairly young when he came to Hogwarts, but now he was much older. Severus was taking his job as the new Keeper of the key to the Book of Resurrections seriously. Making certain that no one would know of its existence inside Hogwarts and that it was safe deep inside a hidden compartment in the bottom of his trunk.

Unbeknownst to Severus however, Lucius had sneaked into the castle and had found his way into the Slytherin Common Rooms. This of course was only after Lucius had heard rumors about the strange and enchanted silver tin that was said to hold the key to the most powerful book in existence. Lucius, ever interested in boosting his own powers and abilities, soon went in search of this object, tracking it down at being somewhere inside Hogwarts. While inside the Slytherin Common Rooms, Lucius pulled out his wand and then spoke a spell that could lead him to where the sliver tin was located.

Going towards where his wand was pointing to, Lucius soon found his way to Severus's trunk and kneeled down in front of it to open it. After fingering though what was inside it, Lucius then somehow managed to find where the hidden compartment at the bottom of the trunk was, something that would have been unnoticed by most others. Upon opening the hidden compartment, Lucius then pulled out the sliver tin, which was covered by a blue silk cloth. Lucius looked at the sliver tin eagerly for a moment and then looked around himself cautiously, shifting his eyes.

He then stuffed the silver tin in his robe pocket and quietly closed the trunk after, leaving everything as it was before he had been in there. Of course, Lucius did not know that the sliver tin belonged to Severus, though at this time that wouldn't have mattered so much. The only thing Lucius was interested in at this time was to take the object, then try to figure out how to open it himself so that he could use the power within it for his own purposes.

Eventually Severus would find out that Lucius had taken the enchanted sliver tin, but he wasn't about to pursue Lucius or try to get it back from him. Instead, without Lucius knowing it, Severus allowed Lucius to be the temporary keeper of the key, knowing all to well that Lucius would not be able to open it. This made it easier for Severus to protect it, since any of those who were to come looking for the silver tin would believe that Severus had it and would go after him for it rather than Lucius. Of course, they would have been disappointed in the end to discover that Severus didn't have it and thus would have wasted all their energies on Severus for nothing.

**INT. THE GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOMS - EARLY EVENING (OCT. 30TH, 2018)**

Grispell had been keeping his distance from Mapheria and her cronies, trying to keep in Mapheria's good graces so that either Mapheria or her cronies would not hurt him. Of course, Grispell had been busy doing several things for himself as well as for Mapheria ever since being brought back into the service (or rather slavery) of Lady Mapheria. Though he was now older then he was when he was first brought into Mapheria's service sometime in the early 1980s, when at that time he was somewhere in his early 20s. Now however, he was 59 years old, though he had the appearance and body of someone who was only in their early 30s. Strangely, due to the spell that Mapheria had cast on him, he was aging physically much slower then he normally should have.

Grispell wondered if Mapheria had cast a similar spell on herself, since she herself was seemingly not aging at a normal rate. While sneaking about in The Hogwarts School Library looking for information for Mapheria, Grispell had manged to find an article on Mapheria in the Hogwarts biography records, which were open to the students to read. Grispell hid himself in a corner where he wouldn't be noticed. Grispell then opened the book that he was holding and silently read the page he had bookmarked:

**Name:**_ Mapheria Ann-Margarine Snape_

**Birthday:**_ March 27th, 1929_

**Mother:**_ Margarine Snape (nee Rowlas)_

**Father:**_ Cedric Snape_

**Brothers/Sisters:**_ 1 half-brother, 1 half-sister (from previous marriage of mother)._

**Sorted In:**_ Slytherin House (Sept. 1st, 1940)_

**Graduated:**_ June 1st, 1947_

**Wand:**_ Blackthorn with Ironwood handle, core of Dragon Heartstring and Basilisk Skin._

**Experience:**_ Full details unknown, but was known to be highly experienced in the Dark Arts, Curses and Metal-Charming._

Grispell closed the book quickly when a pair of students walked by where he was hiding. Grispell quickly dropped the book and dashed underneath a nearby sofa that was up against a wall in a corner and hid under it until the students passed. Grispell had been sleeping and hiding underneath this sofa for as long as he had been hiding inside Hogwarts.

He had made a little bed underneath this sofa and had been hiding everything that he had hoarded over the weeks he had been there: A few books he had stolen from the restricted section, a couple disused wands, a small sliver pocket watch on a sliver chain, an hourglass, a small box full of small trinkets he had found, a set of small Slytherin student robes, a small blanket, a small feather down pillow and other little tid bits and curios.

Grispell soon peeked out upon hearing a familiar voice near the entrance to the school library. It was the voice of Albus Potter, who was talking to his sister Lily and his cousin Hugo. Watching Albus leave the library, Grispell quickly went back underneath the sofa once more, then coming out a moment later with the potions book he had stolen from Harry Potter when he had visited with Hagrid long ago. Grispell then quickly dashed out the entrance to the school library and followed Albus all the way to the Gryffindor Common Rooms.

Inside the Gryffindor Common, Albus was getting dressed for the All-Hallows Eve Masquerade Ball, putting on his best dress robes and picking out a mask that was laying out upon a nearby table in the main room. As Albus was getting ready for the ball, he heard a scratching sound at the door to the Gryffindor Common Rooms. Albus ignored it at first, but as it persisted, Albus soon got curious and opened the door, which magically opened when he stood near it. He was unaware however, that who or what that had been scratching at the door had already sneaked inside upon the opening of the door. Albus peered out for a moment, looking in both directions to see who or what was out there. Seeing that nothing and no one was there, Albus simply shrugged his shoulders and then stood away from the door, allowing it to close.

But when he turned around, he was met by the sight of Grispell, who was sitting on top of a low standing bookshelf and holding the potions book close to his chest.

Albus gasped, then spoke, "Ugh! You? How did you get in here?"

"Master Albus Potter came to the door and let me in. My name is Grispell," said Grispell timidly, bowing his head respectfully, "I am honored to finally meet you on calm and peaceful terms. The younger son of the great Harry Potter, who had killed Dark Lord Voldemort and saved the Wizarding world."

"That's ancient history. You tried to take my carrying satchel earlier. Why did you do that?" barked Albus, narrowing his eyes at Grispell.

"Master Albus Potter misunderstands me," said Grispell innocently as he jumped down off the bookshelf and walked over to the nearby armchair, jumping up onto it, then looking back at Albus and continued, "I didn't intend to keep your satchel, I merely wanted to take it a moment so that I could put _this_ in it," - Grispell lifted the book up in front of him to show Albus and then brought it back down, hugging it close to his chest again.

"Oh really? And what is _that_ then?"

"It belongs to your father, Master Albus. It is the potions book that the wizard Severus had given to your father in his last will and testament. I simply wanted to give it back to you so that you could give it back to your father."

Albus looked on puzzlingly a moment, then spoke, "Severus's potions book? You mean that's the original potions book, the one that was stolen from my father years ago?...wait..." Albus thought a moment, then continued, "It was you who stole the book from my father in the first place wasn't it?"

Grispell gulped quietly, then spoke, "What makes you say that, Master Albus? I'm only giving back what belongs to your father."

"My father had described to me the thing that had stole the book from him. You fit that description! You stole it from my father didn't you?"

Grispell nodded and squeaked out, "Yes..." then laughed nervously with an uncomfortable grin and raised the book up in front of him, "But I'm giving it back now. Please don't hurt me, Master Albus."

"You little thief, give that to me this instant!" hissed Albus as he walked up and snatched the book from Grispell. Grispell then went "Argh!" then quickly jumped off the armchair and ran towards a nearby sofa, running underneath it.

"A bit jumpy aren't you?" said Albus, following Grispell with his eyes, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Grispell peeked out from underneath the nearby sofa, "But Master Albus must understand. If my mistress ever knew that I was here, she would surely hurt me again,"

"_Again_, Grispell?" asked Albus, mildly puzzled.

"My mistress would be very angry with me if she knew that I was talking to you," said Grispell, crawling out from underneath the sofa, "She is among the teachers here in the castle. Watching and waiting for the right moment to take back from you what she says is rightfully hers."

"And what is that then? What is it that I have that she wants? Tell me, Grispell."

I can not tell you that, Master Albus. You must find out on your own. I can't answer that question for you. I must go before my mistress finds me here," said Grispell as he slowly stepped his way towards the grand staircase of the Gryffindor Common Rooms, "Listen and beware, Master Albus. My mistress is among the teachers of Hogwarts. She will stop at nothing to reclaim what she says is rightfully hers and if you do not give it to her willingly, then she will take it from you, even if she must kill you for it."

Grispell then ran towards the grand staircase of the Gryffindor Common Rooms, ran up to the landing and slipped behind a set of drapes on it.

"Grispell! No, stop, wait!" cried Albus as he ran after Grispell, running up to the top of the grand Gryffindor staircase. Albus quickly pulled back the drapes and discovered that their was a hidden doorway behind it. Albus quickly ran out through it, trying to catch up with Grispell.

**INT. A HIDDEN CORRIDOR, HOGWARTS CASTLE - EARLY EVENING (OCT. 30TH, 2018)**

"Grispell! Stop! Wait!" cried Albus as he could see Grispell running ahead of him down the darkened and dimly lit corridor, who was facing forward and daring not looking back, "Please, will you just stop a moment and..." - Suddenly, Albus slowed down and stopped with a start upon hearing a small child's laughter, which seemed to resonate from the walls of the corridor around him. It sounded like more then one small child's laughter could be heard, coming out of the walls. At the end of the corridor, Grispell stopped and looked back, wondering where Albus was and what he was hearing.

Albus began to look all around himself, since the laughter was coming at him from all directions, "Hello? Who's there? Who's laughing?"

Then, a pair of voices began to talk to each other inside the wall as the child's laughter quieted a little and eventually stopped. It sounded like a pair of men talking to one another, "Is that who I think it is responding to our children?"

"Yes. It's Albus Potter, the boy who is destined to help save us and the Wizarding world."

"What is he doing in _this_ corridor? That Verena woman is supposed to be watching and protecting the boy until he has learned what he needs to learn in order to help us."

"Verena is watching the boy, as is Abigail Prince, but Albus seems to be having trouble learning the secrets that lie within the potions book that was given to him at the beginning of the school year."

"Can't I help young master Albus, father?" said a child's voice in the walls suddenly, responding to one of the male voices, "I could teach him how to read the Aeyuel Language in his book. I know lots of Aeyuel words."

"I'm afraid Albus Potter needs to learn what lies within the potions book on his own, my boy. That's how it must be and always has been with situations like his."

Albus then looked back at Grispell and spoke, "Grispell! What is that? Where are those voices coming from?"

Grispell spoke timidly as he looked at Albus with his large eyes, "Master Albus does not know of them yet for Master Albus has yet to see them. There are demons in the walls of Hogwarts, Master Albus. They are all around you hiding within the walls, watching you...waiting."

Then a brief growl is heard near Grispell as a man's voice spoke, "We are _not_ demons, you meddlesome, little freak of a person you!"

Grispell then suddenly went "Argh!" and then began to run away again, diving around the corner in a flash. And as Albus watched Grispell run off, he suddenly got the feeling that someone was looking at him from the wall to his right. Albus turned his head and was met by the face of a man in the wall, peering out at him. The man had fair skin, brown hair and yellow-white eyes. The man also had an elaborate and decorative canary yellow face marking on the left side of his face that started in the center of his forehead, went over his left eye, down his left cheek and ending somewhere on his neck. The face marking looked tribal in design.

"Gah!" cried Albus as he jumped away from the wall, now looking straight at the man's face with wide staring eyes. The edges of the man's face looked like they were literally merged with the wall, looking similar to how Abigail had appeared to Albus in his dream earlier. The man had a mildly disappointed look on his face and was narrowing his eyes at Albus.

"What are you doing down here, boy?" said a familiar voice suddenly as Albus quickly looked down at the end of the corridor in front of him. Standing at the end of the corridor, looking at Albus disappointingly, was Verena.

Albus was nervously casting his eyes back and forth between Verena and the man's face as Verena then noticed the man's face staring at Albus, then gracefully walked over down towards Albus and stood next to him, smiling softly and looking at the man's face, "Tofalios, is that you staring at young Albus Potter here?"

"What is he doing down here, Verena?" said the man's face suddenly, who Albus now recognized as Tofalios by name, "This corridor is off limits to students of his inexperience. He could have gotten hurt coming through here. There are those of my kind that have yet to be brought over to the side of the reformed Accusers that come down here. Luckily, none of them are here at the moment, but if their were, I wouldn't have been here to save him from them. They would have kidnapped him and taken him to Lady Mapheria. Can you imagine what Lady Mapheria could have done to him if my rebel creed had caught him and taken him to her? I was just about to pull him into the wall and get him out of here!"

"What? You we're going to do what?" said Albus nervously, who continued to cast his eyes back and forth between Verena and Tofalios, unsure of what was going on.

Verena then looked at Albus, then looked back at the face of Tofalios, "I do apologize for this, Tofalios. As one of Albus's teachers and guardians, I should have explained to him a long time ago that he shouldn't come down the hidden Gryffindor corridor. It's far to dangerous for him alone. He should have never came down here."

"But you don't understand, Professor Witchazel. I was..." said Albus, who had suddenly brought of the nerve to speak.

"That will be quite enough out of you, boy!" said Verena disappointingly as she stopped Albus in mid-sentence by bringing up her hand and then bringing it down again, "For this, I'm going to take 10 points from Gryffindor..."

"But Professor, you don't understand!" cried Albus as Tofalios looked on and smiled mischievously, saying nothing.

"And give you detention, Potter. You will soon learn not to go where you don't belong," said Verena coolly as she grabbed onto the back of Albus's robes and began dragging him down back towards the Gryffindor Common Rooms. Albus continued to protest as Tofalios followed with his eyes for a moment and then let out a short hiss before bringing his face back into the wall, vanishing back into it.

**INT. HIDDEN CORRIDOR, GOING TOWARDS THE GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOMS - EARLY EVENING (OCT. 30TH, 2018)**

"Please, where are we going? Where are you taking me?" cried Albus, who continued to protest as Verena continued to drag him down the corridor by the back of his robes.

Verena continued to look forward as she spoke, "My children have been to easy on you when it comes to learning Aeyuel, Albus. It seems they aren't teaching you well enough as I'd like them to, a pity really. But we will see how much you've learned from them and see what you are really capable of on the evening of the day after tomorrow now won't we?"

Albus had almost forgotten that Cyrus and his siblings had been trying to teach him the Aeyuel Language when not in classes for at least a month now. From these teachings, Albus had learned some words of Aeyuel and recognized those words when he heard them, but he had yet to pronounce them properly, as well as read and write them properly.

As Verena and Albus were going back towards the Gryffindor Common Rooms, Verena suddenly stopped upon hearing a familiar voice coming from the entrance to another corridor. Verena stopped at the entrance to this corridor, looking down at the end of the corridor at Gregus Groset, a son of Edward Groset and the Head of Sytherin House, talking to an unknown man.

Verena listened as a man she did not know speak to Gregus, "It's a shame about Professor Beeblewing's relationship troubles. But I have heard that she has found interest in another man. A man from my House."

Gregus spoke to the unknown man, "Yeah. I don't know his name, but I've heard that she's been happier since meeting him. Hopefully she will be in better spirits at the ball tonight then she has been these past couple weeks. I hate seeing a woman as beautiful as Amphoria Beeblewing being in such a state of sadness and disarray."

"Indeed, Amphoria is quite a beautiful woman. If she doesn't mind, I will ask her to dance at the ball with me. I have been wanting to dance with her for a while now," said the other man.

"Oh, I am certain that she will enjoy that, Manus," said Gregus as Verena then looked away coolly and walked on, still dragging Albus along.

**INT. THE DOOR TO THE GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOMS, HOGWARTS CASTLE - EARLY EVENING (OCT. 30TH, 2018)**

Once at the door to the Gryffindor Common Rooms, Verena let go of Albus and shoved him towards the door, "Get back to what you were doing. Go now, you're friends are expecting you."

Albus quickly turned around and began to protest further, "Professor Witchazel, you don't understand. I was chasing down some..._thing_. It called itself Grispell. I didn't go into that corridor on my own, I was chasing the creature down it. I didn't mean to..."

"You nearly got me in trouble of one of the most important and powerful beings in the Ministry of Magic just now! And you want me to forgive you for that? The nerve of you boy!" barked Verena angrily, "You should have never gone down that corridor, whether or not you had reason to. You could have been hurt just now, or worse kidnapped, even killed. Others along with myself are trying to protect you from things and forces that you can't possibly ever imagine. You are far to important to me and others to go wandering about in places where you don't belong and are bound to get hurt in!"

"Maybe I would understand what is going on and why you are so concerned of me if you would just tell me!" barked Albus in return.

Verena's mouth opened a moment, then closed again, saying nothing. She then calmed and looked at Albus in mild concern as she lowered her voice and continued, "Tomorrow night, in detention. We shall see if you are ready to know more about what is going on. But until then, your friends and the Hogwarts Masquerade Ball awaits you downstairs. If you don't want to miss the opening ceremony, then I suggest that you hurry up and get down there. Run along now."

Albus then narrowed his eyes and scowled, "Fine, I'm going. But I wish I knew more about what was going on now."

And with that, Albus spoke the password to the door and the door opened. Albus then walked through the door and the door closed behind him. Verena then looked away with a look of mild concern on her face and soon walked off, going towards the 5th Floor. But just as she was about to leave, Albus popped his head out and spoke and Verena looked back, "Another thing that was told to me. Your husband's cousin Abigail is in the cupboard wall next to the Great Hall. She's there waiting for you now and needs help getting out she said."

"_My_ husband, Mr. Potter? Since when do you think I am married? and who is Abigail?" said Verena coolly.

Albus scowled and narrowed his eyes again as he once again vanished behind the Gryffindor door. Upon hearing that, Verena quickly changed coarse, going towards the Great Hall.

**CONCLUDED...CHAPTER 24/EPILOGUE...**


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24/EPILOGUE: DANGER LOOMS...**

**INT. THE GNARLED OAK TREE, MAPHERIA'S PRIVATE CHAMBERS - EARLY EVENING (OCT. 30TH, 2018)**

Grispell quickly gathered up some rolled up maps, parchment which had some scribbled writing and strange symbols on it and made hast back to the gnarled oak tree. Mapheria had originally sent Grispell to Hogwarts to find maps of the hidden places and hidden corridors of Hogwarts, though why she wanted to know any of this was beyond Grispell at the moment. With maps and parchment held close to his chest, Grispell sneaked into the gnarled oak tree, going through the main chamber and past other slaves, Death Eaters, Dementors and Accusers alike. Suddenly, Grispell heard some angered chirping sounds coming from a glittering sliver bird cage nearby. Inside the bird cage was a beautifully colored peacock-dove, a bird that looked like a peacock but was the size of a dove. The creature was biting at a silver chain on its leg and was trying to get out of the cage, angrily flapping its wings. One of the other Death Eaters looked over at it in amusement and soon spoke, "You shouldn't have refused Mapheria's advances, Crielis. Now you have to suffer for it!"

The peacock-dove, now known to be Crielis, squawked disagreeably, wanting so much to get out of the cage and claw at the Death Eater's eyes. But he was helpless to get out of the cage or even get revenge on his fellow Death Eater. Grispell quickly moved on, running towards Mapheria's private chambers. The only people that were ever allowed into her private chambers were those she would summon for something important or for a personal private meeting. No one was allowed in Mapheria's private chamber unless summoned and if any of her followers would barge into her private chambers, they needed to have a very good reason or she would punish them then and there.

Grispell had been silently summoned to Mapheria's private chamber and thus was meant to come there. But as he approached the doors to Mapheria's private chambers, going down a narrow corridor and past brightly lit torches, he was stopped at the door by a pair of Accusers, one on either side of the doors, who were holding spears and pointing them at Grispell. The doors were both sound proof and spectral proof, so nothing and no one outside the doors could see or hear what was going on inside.

"Ssssssssssss, What are you doing here, Grispell? Sssssssssss Her ladyship does not wish to be bothered now," said one of the guards, nudging a spear at Grispell.

Grispell stopped a few feet away and spoke, "Mapheria summoned me, sir. She wishes to see me."

The two Accusers looked at one another, then brought their spears back to resting position, "Very well, Sssssssss you may enter."

Grispell cautiously walked past the Accusers, pushing the one door open, then closing it behind him. Inside Mapheria's private chamber, candles were glowing dimly all around, making the room appear calm and serene. Grispell then noticed the familiar sounds of love making in the air: quick breathing, moaning, groaning and huffing. These were all sounds that Grispell recognized as intimate sounds, which in his opinion sounded unlike something that would be heard in Mapheria's chambers. Grispell followed the sounds to Mapheria's bedroom chamber. There, Grispell could see two naked figures in Mapheria's bed through the crimson red see-through drapes, with a man on top of the woman. Grispell knew the woman to be Mapheria, but he wasn't certain as to who the man was. Though he could not see either person clearly, he could tell what they were doing and was just about to step back out away from the entrance to the bedroom chamber until he heard, "And where do you think you are going, Grispell?" said the man suddenly.

Grispell gulped slightly and stepped back into the entrance, speaking nervously, "Lady Mapheria summoned me here, sir. But I did not know that she was with someone."

"Are you blind, Grispell? Or more rather deaf?" said the man harshly, but Mapheria, saying nothing, brought her hand up to the man's mouth and shook her head. The man looked at Mapheria, bowed his head and then lifted himself off her. Then, standing up and putting a robe around himself, the man came up to the drapes and pulled them apart just enough so that he could see Grispell clearly.

It was at this moment that Grispell realized who the man was. It was Dreth, another one of Mapheria's loyal Death Eater henchmen. He had fair skin, black shoulder-length bedraggled hair and cold blue eyes.

Dreth peered down at Grispell and spoke, "What do you want, Grispell? I am rather busy with our Lady Mapheria at the moment."

"Lady Mapheria wanted me to get _these_ for her," said Grispell, lifting the maps and parchment up in front of him, then brought them down again, holding them close to his chest once more, "She said that they were a part of her plans."

"You mean _our_ plans, Grispell. Lady Mapheria isn't the only one here involved in her great plans. And since Crielis has shunned our Lady's advances, I have completely taken over his place in our lady's plans. I am her second-in-command now, so be mindful of what you say and do around me, Grispell. If Lady Mapheria is not around for you to answer to, then you will have to answer to me."

"But what of Crielis's loyal lieutenant, Fredric Pipel?"

"I have already dealt with Pipel. He has agreed to work with me on the condition that I don't hurt, torment and tease his beloved cousin Crielis while he is...well, imprisoned. You may put those maps and parchment on the table over there," said Dreth, nodding over to a table nearby, "Afterwards, I suggest that you leave and go back to doing the other things that Mapheria has sent you out to do. Your job is to watch Albus Potter, observe him, but don't speak to him to tell him of our Lady Mapheria's plans." - Grispell walked over and placed the maps and parchments on the table and listened as Dreth continued to speak, "If you say anything to the boy about what is going on, you will be punished."

"And what of the witch Abigail, sir?" asked Grispell nervously, "I have heard that reformed Accusers came to her rescue and sent her somewhere where she can't be reached,"

"Yes, an unfortunate circumstance that will soon be rectified once our Lady Mapheria or the rebel Accuser children have found her again. We need the Abigail woman to help us find the other things that our Lady Mapheria seeks, not just what the Albus boy has."

"But what does Master Albus have that Lady Mapheria wants so badly from him, sir?" asked Grispell once again.

Dreth then grinned wickedly as he spoke, "If you don't already know, Grispell, what our Lady Mapheria seeks to take from Albus lies within the potions book that was given to him at the beginning of the school year. A page that was torn from the Book Of Resurrections, somewhere hidden within it. The most important page in the Book of Resurrections to our Lady Mapheria. The page, Grispell, that our Lady Mapheria knows to be the key to bringing her beloved Tobias back from the grave. The Albus boy carries the power of the Auranan within him, Grispell. It is the same power that our Lady Mapheria carries within herself and it will certainly cause havoc in our plans if it is unleashed within the boy. He has yet to truly tap into his gifted powers does he not?"

"Yes. I've heard that Master Albus does not know his true potential and that Lady Mapheria wishes to teach him how to use them properly. But surely Lady Mapheria knows that he will use his powers against her. So why does she want to teach him how to use his Auranan powers, sir?"

Dreth smiled wickedly once more as he spoke, "Why Grispell, so that she can take his Auranan powers away from him when the time comes. Her purpose of wanting to teach him how to use his Auranan powers is to find his strengths and weaknesses, then match him. Oh certainly it would be easy for our Lady Mapheria to take away Albus's Auranan powers right now...but she won't. She would only make him a martyr and _that_, my dear Grispell, is something that she doesn't wish to do. With an untimely loss of the Albus boy's Auranan powers, wizards and witches of every nation would rally behind him, making it even harder to achieve victory in our plans. The Albus boy you see, is the only chance for hope of victory and peace to those who are against us. But our Lady Mapheria will soon put an end to their..._fantasies_."

"Stop chattering at Grispell, Dreth, and get your big self back into bed!" hissed Mapheria from her bed. Dreth was of small to medium build, so it was obvious to Grispell that the big part she spoke of lied down where Grispell did not want to see.

Dreth smiled mischievously, "I am in demand, Grispell. I suggest that you leave now before our Lady Mapheria gets restless. Go back to Hogwarts and keep an eye on the Albus boy. And if the Abigail woman appears, you will report to either me or Lady Mapheria immediately. Good night, Grispell."

And with that, Dreth closed the drapes suit and went back to entertaining Lady Mapheria while Grispell turned on his heels and ran out, listening to Lady Mapheria's and Dreth's cries of pleasure as he left.

**INT. HOGWARTS CASTLE, CUPBOARD NEAR THE GREAT HALL - EARLY EVENING (OCT. 30TH, 2018)**

Struting past brightly lit lanterns which lined the corridor going towards the Great Hall and past several finely dressed students wearing masks of all shapes, colors and designs, Verena found herself at the door to the cupboard that Albus claimed Abigail was waiting for her and waiting to be freed from. Verena looked around cautiously and shifted her eyes a moment, making sure that no one or nothing was around. Verena then quietly slipped through the cupboard door and into the narrow broom cupboard, facing the wall to the left. Verena then placed her left hand onto the wall, trying to find where Abigail was located within the wall. As Verena was trying to locate Abigail, she could hear a couple sources of small child's laughter, a sign that she was being watched by Accuser children that were hiding within the wall nearby. Verena looked around in mild concern a moment, then looked back and tapped her finger on a spot on the wall. She then took out her wand and placed the tip of her wand onto the wall and spoke, "_Accusa Solvo Vallum_!" causing a flash of light to burst from the tip of her wand and dance across the wall. Suddenly, the wall began to groan, stretching and bending, acting like an elastic band or putty. Suddenly, in a sparkling haze of light, Abigail fell out of the wall and landed on the floor of the broom cupboard. Then, as quickly as the wall had seemingly turned into putty, it became solid and flat once more, becoming silent.

Verena looked down at Abigail, noticing that she was without her sash, exposing the left side of her face and her whited-out left eye. Abigail sat up and began looking around confusingly as Verena spoke softly, "Abigail? Are you alright?"

There was a brief moment's pause as Abigail suddenly got her bearings and looked up at Verena, "Verena? Oh...I'm fine. I wish I knew how to get out of these blasted walls, I would have gotten out myself long ago." - Verena helped Abigail onto her feet as Verena continued, "Albus Potter told me that you were here so I came to fetch you."

"I know, and I've been waiting for hours to get out of this wall. Where is Albus Potter now?"

"Getting ready for the ball. Why do you ask?"

Abigail looked concernedly at Verena and spoke with mild excitement, "The boy must be warned of what I've learned. Lady Mapheria is using Polyjuice Potion to take on the form of one of the teachers here at Hogwarts. She intends to teach Albus Potter how to use his Auranan powers so that she can find out his weaknesses. And I know which of the teachers that she is..."

"I know, Abigail. So do I..." said Verena nonchalantly, who didn't seem to surprised at what Abigail had just said. Abigail cocked her head slightly and looked at Verena puzzlingly.

**EXT. A CURIOS SHOP, DIAGON ALLEY - AN HOUR BEFORE DAWN (AUTUMN, 1998)**

(extended from epilogue in Chronicle 1)

Inside the window display of the curios shop, several curios and magical items were being displayed, including an enchanted sliver tin with a sold tag attached to it. At first, there was only silence, then suddenly, a fist broke through the section of the window where the enchanted silver tin sat. The hand appeared to be of a fair-skinned figure with long and gnarly-looking pointed fingernails. Then slowly and ominously, the hand stretched over the top of the enchanted sliver tin and then slowly dragged it towards the unseen figure.

**THE END...THE STORY CONTINUES...CHRONICLE 3...**


End file.
